


Cosmictale

by Rogue_of_Light



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Inspired By Undertale, Other, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-03-11 18:39:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 32,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13530243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rogue_of_Light/pseuds/Rogue_of_Light
Summary: His name is Error.  He is a Son of the Demon, and on the orders of his Father, has carved a bloody swath across the universe.  But then he chose to attack a Universe that was in no way notable, except for the fact that several monsters had their personalities and body types shuffled around.  He never expected that he would find significant resistance here, and from a Papyrus of all things!His people slaughtered.  His brother kidnapped.  A lesser monster would crumble, and surrender to his cruel fate.  But not Papyrus.  He vows to defeat Error and recover his brother, no matter the cost!  And this vow was not taken lightly, as it will guide Papyrus from the ruins of his New Home to beyond the furthest stars, and into the darkest reaches of the Void.  Will he be able to rescue his brother?  Or will the darkness swallow them both?





	1. Chapter 1

At first, no one had noticed. A few disappearances were not so out of the ordinary that they would draw the attention of the Underground. It certainly was a stir in Waterfall or Snowden, but nothing that would suggest the catastrophe about to come. Then the door to the Ruins was destroyed. Traumatized monsters staggered in, babbling about how the guardian had been slain. Papyrus cursed himself. He had should have known something was up by then. 

Then Sans came home early from training. He said that Alphys had vanished from Hotlands, and no one knew where she was. By now, the disappearances were too many to ignore. Every rumor was about who had vanished, and who would be next. 

Then Queen Toriel died. Whole blocs of monsters in New Home were attacked and dusted in hours. The city was evacuated. The Royal Scientist vanished. The small towns of Waterfall and Snowden were swamped by foreign monsters. But there was no safety to be found there. In the end, the perpetrator did not have to kill them. With space so limited and tempers so raw, it came down to strength. And after they finished off their own brothers, the survivors found they had dug their own graves.  
And now, Papyrus walked down the streets of New Home. The white stone of the buildings was serene and stately, but the whole city was cold and silent. Piles of dust sat on every street corner, staining the once white streets a dead gray. Papyrus went past all of these, his steps stirring up clouds of dust as he hurried to the palace. He hurried, his trousers staining grey as he ran, clouds of dust pulling off the ground to greet him. 

Once he arrived, he found the gates flung open, the door to Toriel's hall unguarded. Without their leader or their Queen, the Royal Guard has crumbled. Those that stripped off their armor and swore loyalty to Iron Bones were not spared. Papyrus proceeded inside, to the long hall where he stood for so many days, waiting for the Champion to arrive. The one foretold in the Revelation of the Angel. 

He entered it from the long door, the stained glass filling the hall with radiant light. The marble columns stood alongside the narrow passageway, leaving him with nowhere to run. Not that Papyrus would have run. Not now. And if he walked out of this room, not ever again. Papyrus stopped, twenty feet from his opponent. Papyrus glared at him. "This is your last chance." His opponent turned to look at him. He looked so much like Sans, Papyrus thought. His bones were red like blood, his skull black as iron. His eye-sockets were red backed, one hosting a small white dot, the other a large blue disk, ringed in yellow, with a spot of black in the center. Blue streaks ran down from his eyes, giving him the appearance he was crying. But his wide smile indicated he was not sad as all. "My last chance to what?" Iron Bones said, grinning like a fool. He straightened his jacket casually, which was hanging open over a red shirt. Papyrus tried to focus on Iron Bones, but there was something odd about him. His outline shimmered, and he seemed to be fading in and out of focus, and red and white text kept appearing around him, flashing for an instant, before vanishing. "Error," the messages proclaimed. Iron Bones kept looking at Papyrus, wearing an innocent face. As he did, he waggled his fingers, which had produced glowing strings of blue, with some of them disappearing behind a column nearby him. 

Papyrus ground his teeth. "I got your note. If you let him go, I won't kill you." Iron Bones said nothing, but his wide smile grew a hair. He jerked his strings, and pulled Sans out from behind a pillar. "Oh no, it appears that someone gave it away." Iron Bones walked over to Sans, who was bound up in the magical blue strings, and put his hand on Sans' shoulder. "Was it you, Sans? Did you tell your brother about the surprise?" Sans cringed away from Iron Bones, and Papyrus growled at him. "Don't hurt him!" Iron Bones waggled his finger at that. "Papyrus, please. Think of yourself." He leaned in to Sans. "Okay, here's an idea. I know how you can make up ruining the surprise." Then he leaned in and whispered something in Sans' ear. "No!" Sans yelled. "I couldn't possibly hurt Papyrus!" Iron Bones smiled turned artificial. "It's your only chance. If you don't, I'll kill you both!" Sans grew a courageous expression. "Then kill me. I'd rather die before I hurt my brother." 

"Sans no!" Papyrus called. Iron Bones shrugged, and looked back at Papyrus. "Well, you heard him." A Black gaster blaster, with jagged edges, blue and yellow eyes, the inside crackling with white light, sparks of which floated off, revealing themselves to be a huge mound of overlapping visual 'Error' messages. "It's been a pleasure, the Magnificent Sans." Papyrus charged the two skeletons. Iron Bones swiveled his head, and his Gaster Blaster responded, its crackling mouth facing him down. The Gaster Blaster's jaws opened, pouring forth a vision of destructive energy. Papyrus summoned a bone through the floor, a white femur directly beneath his right foot. The bone shot upward, and Papyrus jumped, adding to the vertical momenteum. This launched him over the Gaster Blaster's wave of white magic, elevating him over Iron Bones and Sans. "Give him back!" Papyrus roared, summoning his own Gaster Blaster. His was constructed of white bone, but its beam was no less potent. White light roared from its mouth, hitting Iron Bones' Gaster Blaster, burning it into ash. 

Papyrus landed in front of Iron Bones, his Gaster Blaster readying to fire. Sans lay off to the side, where he had been left. Iron Bones watched him dispassionately, then lifted his left hand, the one projecting the strings that tied up Sans, and grabbed his pinkie. Papyrus was about to fire, when Iron Bones jerked on his own pinkie, jerking it far past where it could bend. Sans cried out in pain. "Be careful what you do next," he said. Papyrus stared at that. "What had just happened? Had Iron Bones just hurt his brother? Was that finger broken? Iron Bones suddenly moved. Papyrus tried to dodge backwards, but Iron Bones was way out of his league. The blue strings around Iron Bones' right hand vanished, leaving him only with his yellow, red, and black hand. That hand curled into a skeletal fist, smashing into Papyrus'. Papyrus staggered back, pain splintering through his skull. Such power, such speed how- Iron Bones hammered him again, the right fist colliding with his sternum. The bones creaked like a spring, tiny micro-fractures running through Papyrus' ribcage. 

Papyrus was blown backwards, barely managing to keep his footing. He felt sprinkles of dust landing on the inside of his orange hoodie, but he couldn't worry about that now, even if hurt so badly. "Why did you hurt my brother when you broke your own finger?" He demanded. In response, Iron Bones gestured to Sans. "Sansy, did you feel the impact on your right knuckles?" Sans nodded. "Yes, but I don't want to! Stop hurting Papyrus!" Iron Bones ignored that latter part, looking at Papyrus. "This is my ability, 'Master of Puppets'." Iron Bones gestured to the blue strings emerging from his left hand, currently tied around Sans. "It produces these strings which can penetrate through anything, and link my soul to anyone I ensnare. Thus, anything that happens to me, will happen to your brother." Iron Bones smiled at that. "I wonder what will happen if you roast me with that Gaster Blaster up there?" He gestured casually to Gaster Blaster Papyrus had summoned near the ceiling. Papyrus glowered at that. "Now," Iron Bones continued. "I'm going to reel your brother in. Then I'm going to kill you." Sans cut him off. "No! You stay away from him, you brute-" Iron Bones gestured with his left hand, and one of the blue strings disconnected from Sans' torso, winding itself around Sans' jaw, tying it to the skull. "So, do you have any last words?" Iron Bones continued, looking at Papyrus. 

Papyrus straightened up, the orange light of his magic dimming for a second. "You know, it's a beautiful day today. The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming. Ordinarily, I would be going scavenging in the dump in Waterfall with Sans. So for that, you're going to have a bad time." Transparent orange flames bloomed in Papyrus' right eye-socket, rushing out to form a tongue of fire. Iron Bones finally lost his smile, the blue strings reappearing around his right hand. He rushed forward, his right strings ready to ensnare his prey. Papyrus retreated, hurling a dozen blue bones at Iron Bones. But Papyrus' opponent was too fast, being able to dodge the blue bones with ease. "I have you now!" He crowed in triumph. The blue strings tied around his right hand shot outward, reaching toward Papyrus. He's too fast, Papyrus thought. Luckily, he wasn't planning on winning using his speed. "'Gravity of You'," Papyrus yelled, the blue strings reaching toward him. 

And the strings stopped, right before his face. Iron Bones was yanked backwards, his strings no longer having the length to ensnare Papyrus. "What?" He exclaimed. This worthless piece of trash, this abomination, had an ability? Iron Bones thought about it, trying to figure out his opponent. The ability must be affecting me. But how? He thought. Their had to be a trigger, something that started it. Could it have been the Gaster Blaster? Iron Bones stole a look over his shoulder, and realized that Papyrus had not intended the Blue Bones for him! Sans was hanging in the air, suspended off the floor by Iron Bones' string, being drawn toward the rear of the Judgement Hall. He hung there like the far wall of the hall was the ground to him, instead of the floor for everyone else. Iron Bones focused on that, and sure enough, the white SOUL in Sans' chest, it was dyed blue. "You tricky boy," Iron Bones said, suddenly sprouting a wild grin. "You tried to put one over on me, didn't you?"

Papyrus grimaced in response. It wasn't much of a plan. He needed to get closer, but he couldn't, not with those strings. Iron Bones was probably strong enough to tear him apart with his bare hands. He needed to deal with both the strings and Iron Bones' hands. And neither of those looked like an easy task. Iron Bones clenced his teeth, and put one foot down, walking toward him. Sans jerked, still hanging from the strings, but Iron Bones overcame the pull of gravity. "Do you think," Iron Bones said, "Something as weak as Gravity," his foot smashing into the ground, "Will save you?" Papyrus started to retreat, and Iron Bones followed, his strings stretching out from his hands. Papyrs looked over his shoulder, and realized he was running out of hall. "'Gravity of You'," he said, gesturing with his right hand, orange magic roaring around it. Sans was suddenly jerked away from the back wall, and began to fall upwards, toward the ceiling of the Judgement Hall. Iron Bones was yanked upwards as well, his strings straining to reach Papyrus. But they were still too far away. Papyrus watched Iron Bones float off the ground, being dragged toward the ceiling, and commanded his Gaster Blaster. It turned, and rushed forward, jaws opening. Iron Bones saw it coming, but couldn't maneuver in the air. Papyrus' Gaster Blaster clamped around his left hand, the jaws crashing down on his arm. Sans cried through his gag, but he just grimaced. "Be careful," Iron Bones chided. "You're going to hurt him!" Papyrus just glared up at him. The Gaster Blaster around Iron Bones' began to warm, white light beginning to emerge from its mouth. Iron Bones saw that, and started to panic. "No, you can't! It'll happen to him too!" Papyrus smiled back. "Even if he loses his hand, or even his whole arm, I'd prefer that to having him spend another second in your company!" 

Iron Bones glared at him. "I got to admit, you're pretty good. But you're short." Pure hatred burned in his eye-sockets. "And short monsters," Iron Bones said, hesitating. "Get dunked on!" Iron Bones' right hand shot out and grabbed the upper jaw of Papyrus' Gaster Blaster. His fingers dug into it, the sterile bone cracking under his grip. Then, with a jerk, Iron Bones tore the Gaster Blaster in half, ripping off the top half of the skull and upper jaw, releasing the unfired blast in a wash of white sparks. Iron Bones then shoved off the lower half of the Gaster Blaster that still hung in the air, throwing himself downward with incredible force. He shot straight down, heading for Papyrus. Papyrus watched him come down, blue strings stretching off his free right hand, his left still flowing up behind him. Papyrus saw Iron Bones coming, and summoned two Gaster Blasters, one on either side of him. They both fired. 

Iron Bones watched in horror as his blue strings shot down, but as the Gaster Blasters fired, the blue magic that composed them was washed away, mixing with the overwhelming flood of white light from the Gaster Blasters, before dissipating. The Gaster Blasters slightly tracked upward, slicing the strings connected to his right hand off, before suddenly stopping just short of his body. Then the firing stopped. Papyrus rushed out of where the white light had just been, and punched Iron Bones in the face. "'Gravity of You'!" Above them, Sans' dyed blue soul responded to Papyrus' command, and jerked away, dragging Iron Bones back toward the rear of the Judgement Hall. But this time, Iron Bones felt the gravitational pull as well. But then, Sans dropped to the ground, normal gravity reasserting itself. And then, Iron Bones felt a sense of vertigo as gravity switched again, dragging him back towards the ground. But then gravity intensified, and he smashed into the ground. 

Papyrus walked toward Iron Bones, watching the red-boned skeleton struggle, the force of gravity crushing him into the stone floor of the Judgement Hall. Iron Bones tried to stand, but Gravity merely increased, smashing him down again. Iron Bones cried out in pain. Underneath him, the tiles began to crack, and similar cracks began to appear in Iron Bones' skeleton. "Release my brother," Papyrus demanded. "Or I will use my 'Gravity of You' to crush you into powder." Iron Bones tried to move, but the gravity increased again, flattening him against the stone, which now began to audibly split beneath him. He cried out in pain again. "Do it!" Papyrus demanded. "My 'Gravity of You' has variable strength, based on EXP. The more sin you have, the heavier your soul is. And for someone as wicked as you," The tiles underneath Iron Bones suddenly folded, pulverized by the immense gravity, "This gravity might just drag you all the down to Hell." 

Iron Bones struggled to looked at Papyrus, barely able to lift his skull from the crumbling stone beneath it. "You have bested me," he said, hissing in pain. "You have won the day. As a reward, I will let you live. In exchange, I will take a little consolation prize." Iron Bones snapped his finger, and the powderized stone beneath him vanished, an empty white hole appearing beneath him. Iron Bones was dragged into this hole, exiting with the speed he'd arrived. Papyrus was about to breathe a sigh of relief, when he realized that Iron Bones' 'Master of Puppets' was still visible, being rapidly drawn through the white doorway after their master. And the strings were still tied around Sans. Sans looked up at Papyrus. "Pappy?" Then the strings pulled taunt, and yanked Sans away. Papyrus raced after him, trying to grab hold of the strings. "Sans!" 

He was too slow. Sans disappeared into the white doorway, and Iron Bones' mocking laughter seemed to echo long after the portal had shut behind him.

Profile:  
Name- Error Nightmareson  
Ability- Master of Puppets

Master of Puppets produces dark blue strings from its user fingers. These strings can penetrate through solid matter, and can strike magical objects as if they were solid. When wound around a soul, any sensation that Error feels is transferred down the strings to them. However, this transfer is only one way, and things effecting the 'puppets' do not affect the 'Master'. Error can ensnare a maximum of two individuals at a time.


	2. Chapter 2

Once Sans was gone, Papyrus had stood there, watching the space where the portal was. He didn't expect Sans to appear. He expected nothing. He was staggering, his mind was racing, but it went nowhere. His brother had been taken. What should Papyrus do? Could he do anything? He had to do something, to do nothing was unacceptable. But what could he do? 

Some time passed. Papyrus did not do anything. The maelstrom of his thoughts calmed, but they did not decrease in volume. The volume was lowered, but the desperation only grew. As the hour grew long, Papyrus began to wonder if it would be better to just give up. The thought filled him with rage. But it was a quiet, panicked rage. But as Papyrus found himself getting angry to better ignore his grief, he saw a white light washing onto the floor behind him. He turned to look. A white line appeared in the air, like the white space that Iron Bones had fallen into. But instead of a sucking white void, devoid of everything, this light filled Papyrus with the thought of better days. It was warm and welcoming, and made him wonder how he dared to even consider Despair. A small human child appeared from within the beam of light, thin as a stick and pale as fresh snow, slightly transluscent and glowing like a paper lantern. The child's long hair hung in their eyes, and they bore an expression of utter seriousness. They carefully approached Papyrus. 

"Papyrus." They looked up at him. Papyrus said nothing at first. He turned to look back at the space where Sans had been. The child pulled on his arm. "Papyrus, please." Papyrus shook him off. "What do you want?" He felt like he should be more worried about this child, but Papyrus did not care about anything at the moment. Only that look on Sans face. The one that lingered. Papyrus didn't turn, but he felt the child's gaze. "I came to help you. You are a temporal castaway. Monsters like you are in need of help, so I came." Papyrus turned to the child. "Help?" His eye-lights went out, leaving only a pair of cold sockets. "The only help I need is help killing Iron Bones!" 

Papyrus turned around, crossing his arms over his chest. The child said nothing. They stood in silence for a long while. Then the child spoke up. "If you really want revenge, then you should come with me. If you stay here, you'll be stuck in a dead universe with no way out. You'll be trapped here, forever." Papyrus glanced over at the child, who was giving him a sympathetic look. He turned back, ignoring the child. The child continued, talking to his back. "But forever won't be very long for you. I suspect if you stay here, you'll be consumed by your rage. You'll either spend the rest of your life in mourning, cursing his name, or you'll start taking your anger out on the monsters in this underground." Papyrus turned around to look at the child, who had bowed their head, so that their dark eyes were concealed behind a veil of hair. "Maybe," they began. "Maybe you'll end up like him, in the end." Papyrus turned around, orange sparks blasting off him. For a moment, he considered slapping the child. Then the thought lingered with him, and realized he shouldn't take out his anger on someone trying to help him.

But him? Become like Iron Bones? Preposterous. Still, he felt the kid was right. He couldn't follow Iron Bones. But this kid could. Maybe he could somehow convince the kid to help him. He turned and pointed at the door of light. "Where does that lead?" The child looked up, a small smile on his face. "The Crossroads. A safe place, beyond this world, where you can rest." Papyrus did not want to rest. He wanted to move, to act. To find Iron Bones and smash him into powder, and to rescue his brother. But he didn't say that. He nodded. "Alright kid. There's nothing left for me here, anyway." Papyrus turned and walked into the light.

The child watched him go, vanishing into the light.

Then they turned to go, but something stopped them. The shadows seemed to darken, and the sunlight coming through the stained glass weakened to a faint red glow. Along the far wall, a shadow stretched up, looking like the outline of a skeleton dunked in oil. Creeping tendrils emerged from within the shadow, and began slithering from the shadows in the hall, stretching out toward the child. A single blue eye burst into existence within the skeleton's shadow, fixed on the child.  
"Hello Vulture," the skeleton's shadow said. The voice echoed through the hall, deep and melodious, yet so pitched that it made every hair on the child's neck stand up. They felt a surge of fear, and the eye twinkled at that. "Delicious," the sonorous voice whispered. It sounded like they were whispering into the child's ear. "Have you come to steal my prizes? You should know that taking things that don't belong to you isn't nice." The child could see the skeleton's shadow on the far wall shaking its head in disapproval. "Begone, One-Eye!You have no power here, or anywhere!" The child drew every scrap of determination they possessed, making the air around them waver with ruddy light. The shadowy visitor chuckled, and the shadowy tendrils withdrew. "Pain is my meat, terror my wine," the one-eyed shadow said. "The table has been set, and soon I will feast. So gather what scraps you can, while you can." Then the eye shut, and the shadows were nothing more then a spot of floor being shielded from the light by a pillar. The child glanced around to ensure that no one was still here, and then hurried through the door of light.


	3. Chapter 3

Papyrus emerged from the other side of the door and was immediately struck by the feel of the air. Compared to the oppressive silence and tattered finery of New Home, the air around here was charged with electricity, soothing and invigorating him, like he had been immersed in bath water. The second thing that struck him was the scenery. The ground was hills and hills of grey sand, a vast lunar desert. Above them, the sky was black, with twinkling stars crowding every square inch. But before Papyrus could appreciate the first time he had ever seen the night sky, he saw something even more astounding. Before him, miles in the distance, Papyrus saw a great tree. The Tree was made of stainless white crystal, stretching miles into the sky. It's boughs were heavy with brilliant fruit, each one as bright as a captured star. Papyrus just stared, his eye-lights swelling, trying to see all of the tree, struggling to contain it all within his mind.

The leaves of the trees were made of clear diamond, reflecting the light coming from the luminous trunk and the fruit into a cascade of rainbows that flickered across the ground. Instead of the long shadows of the Underground, this land was lit by the tree before him. The child walked out of the door of light and appeared beside him. "You see that tree?" Papyrus nodded, still awestruck by the splendor of this place. The child smiled. "Go towards the tree. At its base, you will find a city. There you will find shelter, food and rest." Papyrus turned to the child. "Aren't you going to show me the way?" The child shook their head. "I wish I could. But there are many more fallen souls in need of rescue. The bridge was broken long ago. I am the only one who can bring them to the Crossroads." The child stepped forward and took Papyrus' hand. "Papyrus, I know you must be concerned for your brother. But the monster you fought, his name is Error. He is a murderer, a butcher of kings and gods. He has lain waste to thousands of undergrounds, all like yours. I hate to say it, but your brother is gone." Papyrus wanted to pull away, but the child held him with their eyes, cold and dark, the witness to a thousand atrocities. "Grieve for him. Tears are offerings to the dead. But release your hatred, and find a new purpose." Papyrus nodded, holding precisely no intentions of doing so. The child smiled. "I'm glad you are willing to see reason." Then they turned and walked back toward the light. "Farewell, Papyrus." Papyrus started to watch them go. Then he jolted. "Wait!" The child paused, casting a curious glance back at him. "What's your name?" Papyrus asked. The child smiled. "My name?" They considered that. "Frisk." They decided. Then with a final smile, they passed into the light and vanished. 

Papyrus stood there for a second, waiting for them to reappear. But when they didn't, he kicked some dust. "I preferred it when I was the only one with shortcuts." Papyrus turned and started toward the tree. As he walked, he noted the many other footprints along the way. Parts of the desert looked like they hadn't been touched by generations, and parts had recent footprints. Following one of those recent trails, Papyrus thought about what Frisk had said. Was Sans really a goner? That thought hurt, like a glass barb in his soul. No, he wasn't. If this Error or whoever had meant to kill him, why not do it where Papyrus could see it? No, he wasn't. He must be keeping Sans alive, in the hopes that this would hurt Papyrus. He knew I couldn't follow him, Papyrus reasoned. He must be taunting me, trying to get me to waste my energies worrying and despairing. 

But he didn't count on this. Now all Papyrus needed to do was find someone who could travel to these other Undergrounds, and get them to help him look for Error. And while that was easier said then done, Papyrus couldn't resist a small spark of hope. But even so, that spark was insignificant next to the rage simmering on the back burner. "When I find you Error," he muttered to himself. "I'm going to feed you your own pelvis." 

Papyrus continued walking in silence, with nothing but the ghost of a breeze caressing his skull. Whatever the wind was, it affected him, but did not affect his clothes. Maybe everything has a soul, he thought. And this is where they all end up. That thought amused him a little bit. But after a while, Papyrus saw something in the midst of the grey sand. A vast shanty town, a pile of ramshackle buildings constructed of scavenged materials from a thousand different locations. If someone had went to Waterfall and grabbed every piece of trash they could find, then used it all to construct a town, this is what would result. And beyond that, the massive tree loomed, so much larger now that it was closer. It stretched over the town, its crystal leaves covering the sky, refracting the starlight. 

Papyrus entered the town, and was struck by the variety he saw. The dirt streets were full of monsters, some standing around in groups talking, others walking to some destination or another. All of them wore different outfits, from high-collared robes with headresses, suits and ties, leather, lacy frills and body armor all co-existing side by side. Papyrus stepped onto the street, taking in the sights, his rage and looming desperation momentarily quieted. But as Papyrus inspected the outfits of all the monsters around him, he noted how there were no skeletons. He also noted how some of the monsters were giving him funny looks. Or perhaps they were only funny to him. They looked quite serious. 

After wandering for a bit, Papyrus found a place that "Tavern" scratched above the door. Papyrus entered inside, and found that it was a clean, if oddly decorated place. All the tables seemed well-worn, adorned with cool graffiti and carvings done with penknives. The walls were papered over in drawings done with crayons and coloured pencils. Most of them were quite low quality, done by someone with more passion then skill. Papyrus strolled up to the bar, ignoring the strange glances from the few patrons. "Aren't you the Mob Boss, Grillsworth?" The barkeep was a tall monster with a blazing head like a lit match, with a starched shirt and vest on over his smoldering chest. He frowned at Papyrus. "You must have me confused for someone else. Now get out." Papyrus raised an eyebrow at him. "You hate money?" The barkeep shrugged, and tapped a sign hanging by a shelf crowded with rainbow coloured liquor bottles. The sign read, "No boneheads allowed." Papyrus leaned on the counter. "The only bonehead I see around here is you." The barkeep didn't say anything, but his flames crackled suddenly. "Don't say I didn't warn you, newbie. We got a way of doing things in Ash City. Break the rules, and it won't be the only thing that gets broken." Papyrus felt his eye-lights flicker. "Is that a threat?" The barkeep shrugged and turned his back on Papyrus. "Consider it a bit of friendly advice. Oh, and I think you might want to get some shades." Papyrus felt his sockets. "Shades?" The barkeep started reorienting the bottles. "Your eyes, they betray you." 

Papyrus turned, and glanced back at the other patrons. The looks he had been getting made a bit more sense now. And while Papyrus didn't feel obliged to kowtow to any code of conduct, making a mess wouldn't be productive to finding a guide. So he left the bar, wandering back out onto the street. He started walking, not going any particular way. He kept his eyes on the monsters on the street, cataloguing their looks and keeping alert for any potential threats. But none seemed to come, until he reached the center of the town. Here, the monsters were fewer in number, and everyone went about their business quickly, keeping their heads down and their eyes on the road. Except for the monsters with an abundance of LV. They were easy to see, wearing flashy clothes, and staring down every monster they passed. Papyrus was tempted to try to strut like them, but decided he stood out too much already. 

Papyrus found an unclaimed corner and leaned against the side of a building with scavenged metal siding. He sighed. This was hopeless. He couldn't give up, but he didn't know what he was doing. Maybe he should.   
"I know that feel, man."  
Papyrus jumped. The voice had come from around the corner. He hopped onto the balls of his feet and turned it, ready for anything. Sans stared back at him. Clad in a sweet blue and red jacket with matching shorts and fancy red basketball shoes, he looked quite stylish. Papyrus felt tears start to pool in his eyes. "Sans?" Sans gave him a gentle smile. "I'm probably not the one you're looking for." Papyrus felt his tears spill free, though not for the reason they formed. "Oh." He turned to go, suddenly embarrassed. A hand reached out and grabbed his sleeve. He looked back to see the Sans had grabbed his arm. "Wait. I know you don't know me, but you look like a newbie. Let me help you out." Papyrus considered leaving anyway. Sans smiled at him, in an unabashed way. "Please?"


	4. Chapter 4

That "Please" turned out to be an irrestible offer to Papyrus, as he didn't decline. He continued crying, though he couldn't say why now. The Sans across from him giggled, putting his arms behind his head. "Anyway, welcome to Ash City. I presume you're new." Papyrus wiped away a stray tear of orange magic. "Yeah, I've been here for less then an hour." The Sans across from him snapped his fingers. "Brilliant. So we can choose your nickname."   
"Nickname?"  
The Sans grunted in affirmation. "For reasons no one quite knows, lots of the monsters here tend to be repeats of others. There are lots of Alphys, Sans, and a few Undynes." Papyrus gave him a confused look at the last one. Sans snapped his fingers. "You've never met Undyne right?" Papyrus thought about it. "Who?" Sans rolled his shoulders. "Nevermind. Anyway, there tend to be lots of repeats, so people tend to use nicknames. I presume your name is Papyrus, correct?" Papyrus arched an eyebrow at Sans. Sans raised his hands defensively. "Okay, okay, don't bite my head off, oh great and magnificent one." He smiled and closed his eyes for a second. "My name is Sans, but around here, I go by Reverie." Papyrus tasted it. Rev-ear-ee. "What's it mean?" Reverie shook his head. "I dunno. but I heard it, and it sounded cool." Then Sans began pacing back and forth, looking Papyrus up and down. "So for you, what should we call you?" He hmmed and hawed, muttering quietly to himself. And as he watched, Papyrus felt a sudden urge of unease. Reverie's eyes were too sharp, too bright. Too, perceptive. 

But then the urge passed, and warm light of the Tree washed away his discomfort. Reverie snapped his fingers. "Stretch. That will be your name." And as he said that, the starlight filtering through the leaves seemed to grow brighter. The light faded, and Reverie reached into his pocket. "By the way, I have a present for you." He handed Papyrus a pair of sunglasses. Papyrus raised an eyebrow at him. Reverie tapped his temple. "My eyes are disobedient as well." 

Then Reverie turned and started down the street. Papyrus watched him start to go, then started after him. "You seem to know a lot about me." He said. "Why?" Reverie looked back, and shook his head a bit. "I've had this conversation a thousand times. Each time I ask different questions, but I'm always asked the same. Still, if I was in your shoes, I'd probably want answers too." He smiled sadly at that. 

They headed down the street, Reverie ahead of him. "But the true information I seek is not revealed at first," he began. "The measure of a monster's heart is known only to him, and the keeper of the tree." He gestured toward the crystalline trunk towering over the city. "And even if it can be seen, it can't be known. For a monster's nature changes with each choice they make." Reverie turned and looked over his shoulder. "You are not born who you are. Every moment you die, and are born again. You must forge yourself into the person you desire to be." 

Papyrus gave Reverie a hard look. "Why are you saying this?" Reverie shrugged, then looked down at his feet. "There are a lot of bad people here in Ash City. I don't say that they were born bad, but that they choose to be bad. And in a place like this," he gestured to the ramshackle buildings, "No one can stop them." Papyrus looked at him. Reverie rubbed his hands together. "Well, maybe somebody could, but no one has tried." Reverie pointed down one of the streets. "Let me get you out of this place. Some monsters don't like skeletons, so let me show you a place where nobody will object to you." 

Papyrus had nothing to say to that. So he just tucked his new glasses into his pocket and followed Reverie. Reverie took him to a new quarter of Ash City, one where the tension relaxed half an inch, and the amount of gals leaning up against corners in booty shorts and tube tops plummeted. Here, there sat a boarding house, constructed of aged wood and metal siding. They entered through the front, and found an empty front room, like a well-used living room, but with enough furniture to seat fourty people. The walls were decorated with photographs, and bookshelves stood square against the wall. Sitting in the far corner, in a patient state of pretending to be distracted, was an enormous monster. Covered in white fur with horns emerging from either side of her head, she looked serene, thumping through a book with a folded spine. She glanced up at them, one eyebrow raised above her spectacles. "Reverie, is that you?" Papyrus jumped a little when he saw her. She looked exactly like Queen Toriel. Toriel glanced at him. "I see you have another newcomer." Reverie gave her an embarrassed shrug. "What can I say? I attract them like flies to honey." Toriel stood. "It's probably because you've got an honest face." She set her book down and walked over to them. "Hello, my dear. I'm guessing you knew someone who looked a lot like me?" Papyrus nodded. "She ruled the Underground. She was a good ruler." Toriel frowned at that. "Was?" Papyrus looked down at his feet. 

"Anyway, so if you could help him out for a few days, that would be great. His name is Stretch, and he's a real nice guy." Reverie said, changing the subject. "Can I take him upstairs and get him situated?" Toriel nodded. "Reverie, are you certain you don't need a job? I don't have much, but you seem to like it here, and you know your way around as well as me." Reverie took Papyrus' arm. "I'd love to Tori, but I have too much to do. Besides, I can't take your gold. You need every ounce to feed these poor unfortunates." He pulled on Papyrus' arm. "Come on," he hissed. Papyrus shook him off, but followed Reverie out of the room, down the hall, and up the stairs to the second floor. As they reached the second floor, Papyrus was greeted by a long hallway full of doors. He wandered down it, following Reverie, who experimentally twisted a few knobs, until he found one that gave in. He opened it, and ushered Papyrus inside. There was a small bed, a desk, and a chair. The small window had no glass in its frame, but an oilcloth was hung across the frame. Reverie smacked the bed. Papyrus sat. "Do you want something?" Reverie shook his head. "There aren't any rules here, not technically, but there are some things you just don't do here. One of them is mention other versions of someone. There are a lot of people who look exactly like you and act exactly like you out there. Most of them consider themselves you." Reverie sat down in the chair against the other wall. "You are a frog who lived in a well his whole life. And now I've dragged you out of it, and you're looking around thinking, 'Wow, this well is bigger than I thought.' But it's not the well anymore, Stretch. That's the whole world, and you haven't seen anything yet." Papyrus was still too shaken from earlier to say something quippy. He said nothing, and stretched out on the bed. Reverie stood. "One day, you will learn how big the world is. Until then, don't remind other people of it." Then he left, shutting the door behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

Papyrus might have been hurt by what Reverie had said. But he had barely heard. He waited until the other skeleton had left, then lay down on the bed. The seconds crawled by, but still slipped through his fingers. Papyrus wanted to move, but he couldn't. He suddenly felt the enormity of the task he had undertaken settle onto his shoulders. He just wanted to lay here. Go to sleep, and never wake up. Maybe in his sleep, he wouldn't have to think about how he had failed. Failed his people, failed his duty, failed his brother. Papyrus shut his eyes.

"So, what's his story?" He heard a distant voice say. It was Queen Toriel, he thought. Another voice answered it, his brother. "Just a refugee from another dead universe. Nothing special." Papyrus groaned. Sans was right. He was just another victim of cruel circumstance. Toriel tsked sympathetically. "Poor thing." Sans grunted in agreement. "He's not going to achieve his goal. He probably isn't strong enough. Still, if he was good enough, he wouldn't be here." Papyrus saw his brother suddenly. He felt a sudden surge of hope, a sudden breath of air. He felt his brother was there, watching over him from someplace far away. But then the hope faded, and Papyrus saw his brother bound by Master of Puppets. "Pappy?" He asked, blue tears running down his face. A white eye appeared from the shadows, the blue strings binding Sans swirling out from behind it. "I am the Demon. You are not my first victim, nor my last. But I know who will be my next." A dark hand emerged from the shadows, long and dark, dripping darkness like ink. And the blue strings extended further back, past the darkness, revealing where Error hid in the shadows. Papyrus felt these various voices in his head grow louder and louder, until he mentally screamed, "Shut up!" All at once, the intrusive thoughts vanished. Papyrus sighed, and lay down, suddenly tired. He shut his eyes and vanished into dreamland. 

Some time later, Papyrus woke from his sleep. He sat up, glancing around in confusion. Where was he? What was he supposed to be doing? But after a moment, it all came rushing back. Sans. Error. Reverie. Fools. Papyrus jumped up, clenching his fists. "You don't think I'm strong enough, eh?" He imagined Reverie smiling smugly. "I'll prove you wrong. I'll find my brother, and then I'll make you eat your words." 

Papyrus emptied out his pockets onto the desk. He had 20 g, his sunglasses, his jacket and shorts, his good running shoes, a pair of socks, and his phone, currently at 53% percent. He shut off that, since Ash City probably didn't have electricity. And as he lifted the oilcloth, he noted that Ash City did not seem to have time either. The city looked as busy as it had when he had went to sleep, the sky was full of stars, and the city was still lit by the tree. This annoyed Papyrus for some reason. He was in a bad mood today. Brooding on his brother's fate was probably the cause of that. He also hadn't made a pun in ages. Not that he hadn't thought of any. "Have you seen a Sans with a blue neckerchief? He's my bother." Or what about, "I didn't see him, but Error assured me he was tied up at the moment." Or his favorite, "I'm going to find Error and break him." Ha ha ha. 

And with that cheery thought, Papyrus gathered up his possessions and headed out the door. He was going to find someone who could bring him to Error, or he was going to die trying.


	6. Chapter 6

The first rule of Ash City was, according to Toriel, "The Past is Dust." We're all guests at a scattering, and the dust of honor is our past lives. Don't bring them up, it is the height of rudeness. And in some places, enough to get you attacked or kicked out. The second rule, as Papyrus found out, is don't make rash oaths. Papyrus spoke to Toriel, who gave him some advice on where to look. Then Papyrus set out, and went to every bonehead friendly place Toriel could think of. He asked everyone who looked even vaguely helpful if they knew someone who could travel to different universes. Most of them said "No." A few helpful others suggested Dream, the Guardian of the Tree of Hope and Life. When Papyrus asked how one should get in contact with this Dream fellow, no one had any great ideas. Most seemed to think that if Dream considered your problem important enough that he should deal with it, he would come talk to you. When Papyrus asked if there was anyway to leave Ash City, he was met with blank looks. Then he asked about Error.

Papyrus dodged the first swipe, a clumsy blow from an Aaron. The other monster was coiled like a spring, huge arms reaching for his throat. Papyrus avoided them easily, as if the other monster was wading through peanut butter. Aaron threw another left, which Papyrus dodged. The other monsters crowded in, ready to jump in or just trying to keep up. The Aaron gasped, exhausted from putting everything into those blows. "Don't bring up him. No one speaks about him here." The Aaron asked, angry, but clearly blustering to hide some emotional weakpoint, Papyrus noted. Papyrus adjusted his glasses. "How many of you here have met Error, or had your lives ruined by him?" He addressed the whole bar, not just the monster who had attacked him. He pulled down his glasses, so they could see the faint trails of orange flame leaping from his right socket. Almost half the bar raised their hands, or said something like "I have." Papyrus turned back to the Aaron, fixing him with a look. The Aaron withered under the stare, Papyrus' violent intent so palpible it drove him back a step. Behind him, other monsters shivered discreetly. Papyrus looked around, then decided he would find nothing useful here. He turned on his heel and left the bar. 

This was getting him nowhere. He should go back to Toriel's, maybe she could help him. If Frisk had been here, Papyrus could have asked them. But Papyrus hadn't seen Frisk since he arrived, and considering what Frisk had said, Papyrus was pretty certain the two of them would never speak again. These were Papyrus' thoughts as he walked down a lonely street, idly considering what to do next. "Papyrus?" Papyrus turned, looking back at the source of the new voice. It came from a small child, wearing a striped red and blue sweater with a long veil of brown hair over their eyes. Their sweater was baggy and loose, hanging off one shoulder, revealing a slice of bare shoulder along with their throat. To complement this risque look, a necklace of red and blue flowers was bound around their neck and shoulder. Papyrus adjusted his glasses with a sly grin. "Aren't you a little young to be showing off your goods like that?" The kid shot back an indignant glare. "You don't seem like the Papyrus I knew." Papyrus shrugged. "And last time, you were taller." The Frisk doppelganger glared at him. "You are the Papyrus looking for a way out of Ash City, right?" Papyrus nodded. "That's me." 

The Frisk looked him over. "Why Stretch?" Papyrus shrugged. "A friend suggested it. So can you help me?" The Frisk nodded. "I know a shortcut. Or rather, a longcut." They started down the street, in the opposite direction. "Come on." Papyrus hesitated for a moment, then started after. "A long-cut?" The Frisk nodded. "A long time ago, long before you and I, there was a bridge that connected the Crossroads to all the other worlds. Monsters could travel to and from here at will. It wasn't always safe, but it was possible." They turned down a street. "I've heard stories, and this place was even more magnificent back then. The Tree was brighter than the sun, and the city was supposedly made of clear glass, a living work of art." They turned down an alleyway, and Papyrus had to slow his stride so he didn't walk past them. "So what happened?" The Frisk shrugged. "That part isn't talked about as much. But supposedly, the guardians of the Tree had a falling out. You see, the Tree wasn't the whole thing. There was also a root."   
"A root?"   
The Frisk paused, his back turned to Papyrus. "Yeah, a root. The Root of Fear and Tears, and the Tree of Hope and Life. The Dreamer guarded the latter, but the former..." The Frisk trailed off. Papyrus suddenly realized that this alleyway was a dead end. He squinted at the back of the kid's neck. He saw the petals from the flowers on their neck and shoulder, and saw how they weren't part of a necklace, but part of the kid's skin, crowning out from the pale flesh. Beneath their chalk white skin, he could see dark coils bulging beneath. "The former was guarded by a real Nightmare." The Frisk turned around, their eyes glinting madly. "Allow me to introduce myself, as the master himself can't be here. He is my Demon, and I his perfect slave. And now, I will educate you, Papyrus." 

Papyrus smiled back. "The Demon sent you?" He felt his right eye light up. The Frisk grinned a manic smile. "My name is Poppy. Poppy the Parasite. And in this world, it's kill or be killed." Poppy raised his hand, and the ends of his fingertips burst open, the flesh peeling back like wet clay. Thick vines shot out, each one covered in inch long thorns, all dripping red gore. Papyrus dodged back, but the vines still grabbed his right arm, the spikes puncturing his bone like it was made of soft cheese. Poppy sneered in triumph. "Like all the others, you falter. But it is your refusal that offends me the most." The child jumped backwards, and Papyrus was yanked toward the child, off his feet. Planting their left foot as they landed, Poppy threw their arm out to the side, sending Papyrus off into the side of the building to his left. 

Papyrus smashed through the wall of scavenged wood, flying into a dining full of monsters. He stared at them as they looked on in shock, their weak souls not allowing them to see him clearly, due to the speed of Poppy's throw. But for Papyrus, it was like gliding in slow motion. He saw a plate fall toward the ground, one inch per year, the monsters staring at him dumbly, the thought of what was happening still laboring to reach their brains. Then time sped up as Papyrus smashed into their table. Tiny monster children scattered, and the other occupants scrambled back from the table. The cheap wood gave way beneath the falling skeleton, scattering plates and silverware. Papyrus groaned. He looked back, and saw Poppy standing in the hole leading to the alley. "You should run now," he said to the crowd of monsters. They must have sensed his murderous intent, as the other monsters fled the room. Poppy climbed up into the dining room. He poked a fallen meatball with their shoe. "Geez, Stretch, I thought you liked spaghetti." He smiled darkly. 

Papyrus rolled up, his right hand and arm still punctured in a dozen places by thorns. He had to get those off of him. Otherwise, he was just a puppet. Papyrus smirked at the thought. "You really are Error's creature." Poppy cocked his head. "How so?" Papyrus summoned a gaster blaster with his left. It opened fire, washing over his arm and the thorny vine tethering him and Poppy. The blast washed off his aura harmlessly, never getting within an inch of him. But the vine was blasted into stardust. Papyrus shook his right arm, plucking out what was left of the thorns. "He was too much of wimp to fight me up close as well. Spent all of his time hiding behind my brother." He whipped off his sunglasses. "Unfortunately, you don't have that luxury." Poppy smiled. "Mocking me for my cowardice will get you nowhere. Dusted monsters tell no tales." Suddenly, Papyrus felt a sudden, overpowering warmth in his right arm. Papyrus shifted the gaster blaster with his left hand and opened fire on Poppy, hurling a handful of bones with his right. 

Poppy grappeled onto the upper edge of the broken wall with his vines and yanked himself out of the way. Poppy shot up away from the wave of orange magic, but Papyrus had predicted that. As he controlled the Gaster Blaster with his left, he used his right to fling a barrage of bones. In grappeling up into the air, Poppy had put himself right in their path.

Poppy threw his arms over his face, just as the bones hit. They slammed into him, knocking his vines loose. Poppy was blown back into the alleyway, tumbling over before landing face down in the grey dust. Papyrus moved forward, leaping down into the alley, brimming with confidence. His arm was barely hurting, and he had just run the kid through. The human was on the robes. Now just to make sure they were dead. The Gaster Blaster came along for that purpose, orange fire crackling out of the gaps in its closed jaws. He stopped about ten feet from Poppy's head lay, their face in the gray dust. "Lights out, kid." Poppy just groaned, and a shudder went through them as they tried to move. Papyrus hesitated, doubt going through his mind. Even if humans were as tough as the old stories said, his bones should have done enough damage that it would have reduced the human's arms to sausage, and knocked his brain around enough to stun him. But then, Poppy stirred. He struggled off the ground, coming up onto his hands and knees. And as their arms came off the ground, Papyrus panicked. Poppy's arms, they were fine! His arms should have been reduced to scrap meat, but they were barely scratched! Papyrus pointed with his left hand, orange magic boiling off of him. The Gaster Blaster's mouth cranked open, and it prepared to fire. He had to finish this, now! 

Papyrus suddenly realized his error. He was watching the kid's hands, where the fingertips had been peeled back, so the throny vines could come out. But those weren't the only plants in the kid's body. He dove backwards, just as the flowers growing out of the kid's neck and bare shoulder exploded, spraying petals everywhere. New buds shot out of the bleeding holes, each one connected to a long, barbed vine. A dozen thorny vines ensnared the Gaster Blaster, the razor thorns slicing it into pieces, causing it to disintegrate into dust. Papyrus evaded the one that swiped at him, ducking under it, then rolling to avoid one that slammed down into the ground where he had been a second prior. Poppy sneered at him. "Nice try, Stretch. But your bones barely scratched me." And judging by how the kid wasn't soaked in gore, Papyrus had to believe him. "How?" He asked, his eye flaring in frustration. Poppy the Parasite smiled. "You haven't noticed? Check your right arm." Papyrus resisted the urge to immediately check his arm. But the vines potruding from the kid merely hovered in the air, doing nothing. When he was sure that the kid was not going to take a swipe at him, he quickly glanced down at his arm. And was shocked to find it was drooping, the bones having taken on the consistency of spun sugar. His bones sagged, soft and liquid, dripping bits of collagen like wax spilling down the sides of a candle. 

Papyrus must have let his horror show, as Poppy laughed. Papyrus tore his gaze away from his polluted arm and glanced around. Then he realized his predicament. He was pushed into the corner of the alleyway, with nowhere to run. The kid blocked the way out, and the alley was a dead end. He could flee into the kitchen, but that would mean exposing his back to the kid's thorns. So there was only one way out. Papyrus stepped away from the wall, facing Poppy head on. "You know kid, you're pretty good at this." He scratched at his neck. "But in terms of fighting ability, you're a late bloomer." Poppy's face contorted. Papyrus smirked, looking as cocky as possible. The kid took a deep breath. "Just for that, you get to die early." And then the vines shot forward, thorns questing for Papyrus' flesh. Papyrus hurled a dozen bones with his right, and summoned up a Gaster Blaster with his left. Papyrus saw the bones flung from his right either get swatted away by the vines, or bounce off Poppy like they were made of rubber. He ducked behind the Gaster Blaster as it prepared to fire. But it never would, as the vines ensnared the Blaster, and Poppy cried out in triumph as they coiled around and squeezed, slicing it into pieces. 

As the Gaster Blaster disintegrated into dust, Poppy watched to see where Papyrus would show up. When he did, his vines would cut him to ribbons. But it didn't happen. What? Where was Papyrus? In response, the grey sand behind him crunched. Poppy's vines twitched, suddenly realizing what had happened to Stretch. The clever boy, Poppy thought. But the second he turned, he would make the skeleton into a bone fillet. Poppy whipped around, turning his face, and bone knuckles smashed into it! He whirled around, only to get smashed across the face by Papyrus' dripping arm. The arm bent like a bullwhip, sending the kid spinning backward. At the same time, a blue bone passed through their chest, causing them to spasm in agony. They landed in a heap. Papyrus glanced down at them. "Leaving already?" Poppy glared at him from behind his hair. "But you haven't paid your check," Papyrus continued, "If I give you a knuckle sandwich, don't you think you should pay me for it?" Poppy climbed back to his feet, rubbing his bruised lip. "You're not as funny as you think you are." Papyrus readied his magic to finish this. "Geez, tough room." Poppy paused, and Papyrus saw a mote of fear in their eyes. Poppy snarled, "It doesn't matter what I am. Because not only do you overestimate your skills as a comedian, you also overvalue your cleverness." His vines began writhing, lashing in the air. Papyrus saw the human's DETERMINATION start to steam out from around them. "'Inside of Me'," Poppy whispered. 

A dozen tiny explosions of pain rippled out from Papyrus' arm. He staggered, and watched in horror as where the thorns had punctured the bone, now he could see red flowers like the ones growing out of the kid's neck sprouting from the wound. This cracked and squeezed the bone around it, spilling dust into the grey ash that covered Ash City's streets. Paprus took a step back, gasping in pain. Poppy the Parasite took a step forward, his vines now swiveling toward the skeleton. "When I pierced your arm, I injected you with DETERMINATION. This robbed you of half of your magic; but wait, there's more! I left poppy seeds inside your arm. Now I have transferred that DETERMINATION to the seeds, causing them to find root in a place with no dirt or water." Papyrus watched as the poppies grew, smashing his embrittled bone. The roots coiled around through and around the radius and ulna, severing his right arm at the elbow. It landed on the sandy ground, and began to crumble into dust, red poppies growing in the remains of his limb. Poppy pointed in Papyrus's direction. "I'll make a garden of your corpse!" Papyrus smirked at that. "An impressive attack," he said, pointing to the red flowers growing in both pieces of his severed limb. "But if your DETERMINATION was preventing my attacks from hurting you, what are you going to do now I have my bones back?" In response, Poppy snarled. "Die, probably." He gestured toward Papyrus, and the vines shot forward, moving to impale him. 

Papyrus dodged, darting past the vines. "'Gravity of You'," he said. His 'ability' activated, and Poppy found himself dragged forward, falling toward Papyrus, like the other side of the street had become the ground.   
Papyrus rolled to the side, watching as Poppy was dragged past him, now falling across the street, straight at his severed arm. "You may have taken my arm," he whispered as Poppy flew by, "But you gave me something far stronger." Papyrus thought about moving his right arm, and tapped into the residual DETERMINATION still lingering in his severed arm. His severed right arm ceased disintegrating into ash and reasserted itself. It moved, and orange magic began flowing from it. Papyrus smiled and used Poppy's DETERMINATION to send his magic into the severed arm and summon a Gaster Blaster with the right hand. The giant skull formed in Poppy's path, its bones soggy, dripping onto the ground. Poppy's vines shot forward as he slammed into it, trying to destroy this like the others. But instead of shredding it, the vines sank into the bones, the Gaster Blaster's form having taken the consistency of pudding. Poppy smacked into it, his feet slamming into its face and sinking into the Blaster itself. He shot Papyrus a terrified look, and for a second, they looked like someone else. Then Poppy's murderous intent returned. "I'll kill you, you underst-" Papyrus fired the Blaster. 

The Gaster Blaster exploded, the soft bone no longer able to contain the cyclone of magic. The blast rippled out in all directions, a wave of orange fire shooting out in all directions. Then, as the orange magic dissipated, a single, burned child was left in the small crater. 

Profile:  
Name- Poppy the Parasite  
Ability- Inside of Me

Poppy can generate vines from some kind of plant within his body, then expel these vines, using them as weapons. Each vine is covered in razor sharp vines, which can cut through almost anything. Additionally, these vines can inject DETERMINATION, which softens monster's bodies into gooey messes, or can be used to inject poppy seeds, which when stimulated by DETERMINATION, can grow anywhere.


	7. Chapter 7

7

Papyrus hated humans. He hated what they had done to his people, how they drove them underground, forcing them to suffer in darkness. He had read the Revelation of the Angel, and all the old histories. Papyrus knew that Humans walked, talked and acted a certain way because of what they were. And one of the reasons they acted the way they did was because of their DETERMINATION. DETERMINATION, or DT, was pure will made manifest. For while Monsters did possess some of it, too much would melt them like tallow, overwhelming their souls. Papyrus was a prime example, as when he had fired that Gaster Blaster, his magic had been held back. The blast from the Gaster Blaster should have burned through the kid like paper. But he had been forced to pull his punch, so to speak. 

But as Papyrus walked down the street, carrying the bleeding human, he worried about that fact in particular. The human's soul resembled a thin crust of personality over a surging ocean of power. If the human woke up, even injured, Papyrus doubted he would be able to beat them. Especially since he was in a miserable shape himself. But as he walked, he figured that was unlikely. Human souls were similar to a lemon pudding, Papyrus mused. If you stirred them about, they would be disrupted, but still intact. Only a mortal blow could finish them off. But monster souls, they were more like cakes. They had magic artfully worked into the dough in elaborate frosting trim and spun sugar decorations. But if you smashed them both with a hammer, the pudding would make a mess but would be okay. The cake, less so. 

Papyrus left the area where he had fought Poppy, spotting a crowd of monsters gathered one street over. He did not bother to put his glasses back on, so his eyelights were still visible. No one stopped him. Using the Tree of Hope and Life as a reference point, Papyrus crossed through Ash City, carefully carrying the human slung over his left shoulder. They breathed shallowly, a constant low rasp that made Papyrus hurry. If they died, they couldn't reveal to him where Error was. This kid was his only link to the Demon. Due to the nature of his cargo, or perhaps the missing arm, or the look in his eyes, Papyrus was unmolested. After about an hour, he passed through the city and out the other side, and found that there was about a mile of gray, barren sand between him and the tree. But about a hundred ards from the edge of the city, the sand changed. There was a line of pebbles there, a long, straight line that seemed stretch from horizon to horizon. Papyrus hesitated, looking over the border. On the other side the land was perfectly flat, the sand raked smooth, leaving no footprints or disturbances. It felt wrong to disturb it somehow. But besides that factor, Papyrus knew that the Tree had a guardian. Someone named Dream. And even assuming Dream had no magic to detect those who approached the Tree, all it would take would be someone standing on the upper branches to glance in his direction and see a trail of footprints. 

The kid rasped in his ear, and that made the decision for him. Papyrus started forward, walking across the sand. Too his surprise, he didn't immediately trip some kind of magical land mine. He took another step. Again, nothing happened. So Papyrus started walking forward, lugging the human kid with him. The Tree of Hope and Life towered overhead, stretching higher than the roof of the underground. The trunk glowed like it was constructed of light crystals, and the glassy leaves reflected starlight, or refracted it into rainbows. Above him, Papyrus could see that the branches sagged with glowing fruit, each one gleaming with internal light. Papyrus was struck with the sudden desire to have one of those fruits. But considering his current state, and the fact that he wasn't sure how he'd even get that high, he turned his eyes down and kept walking. 

Papyrus made it to the base of the Tree. It was even more immense up close, less like a plant and more like a castle, but one that extended up and up and up. The whole Tree pulsed with energy, like The Core had back home. It glowed softly, the light growing and fading with the pulse of the magic running through it. Papyrus reached out to touch it, his left hand stretching out toward the tree. 

Suddenly, Papyrus' magical senses started screaming. Behind him he heard the crackle of magic and a pair of footsteps onto the lunar dust of the Crossroads. A presence appeared, someone was behind him! Papyrus whirled around, a dozen bones shimmering into existence behind him. He found himself facing Reverie, the small Sans who looked almost exactly like his brother. But instead of his leather jacket and snappy shoes, Reverie was clad in a gold tunic with a white mantle set over it. His pants matched his mantle, and his shoes were silver and gold. Upon his brow sat a circlet of gold wire, the golden wire interwoven with pearls and moonstones. 

Reverie waggled his finger. "Do you want to lose your other hand?" Papyrus stared him down. "Are you going to take it?"  
Reverie crossed his arms. "If you touch the Tree, I may have no choice." As he said that, a Gaster Blaster appeared behind him. This one was much larger than Papyrus', washed in gold, the runic tongue of ancient monsterkind inscribed in the soft coating of metal. Blinding white sparks pooled in the blaster's mouth, and Papyrus felt the power washing off Reverie. The gap between them was immense. And while Papyrus could punch above his weight class, at a certain point, it transforms from a fight into a slaughter. Standing in front of him, Papyrus felt an ant. One blast from that Gaster Blaster would obliterate him, burn his bones to ash in a single, dazzling shot. And then, their would be nothing. Papyrus trembled, and almost grabbed the tree for support. Reverie shot a glare at him, and he settled for shifting the weight on his shoulder. Papyrus took a deep breath. "I need your help." Reverie's arms remained crossed. "A lot of people need my help. I can't be everywhere." Papyrus shook his head. "You misunderstand. I'm not asking you, Dream. You will help me." Reverie's eyes suddenly shifted to the child. "Do not involve them. They have been misled." Papyrus patted the child on the back. Why was Dream bringing them up suddenly? Dream's gaze went cold. "Now, place them on the ground. I will count to three. If you do not do so," the Gaster Blaster unlatched its lower jaw, directing a spotlight of glare over Papyrus. "Dream, what are you talking about?" Papyrus couldn't see the other skeleton, merely a black silhouette standing in the blinding light. "Your arrogance is breath-taking, injuring yourself like that. But once you get back to old One-Eye, tell him that I wasn't fooled." Papyrus heard the grim pronoucement in the other skeletons' voice, and knew he was about to die. Papyrus raised his good hand. "Dream, wait, there's been a misunderstanding. I didn't bring the child here as a hostage." 

The light from the Gaster Blaster vanished. Dream gave him a long look. "Then how exactly were you going to get me to help you?" Papyrus shrugged sheepishly. "It sounds kind of dumb now." Dream fixed him with a harsh glare. Papyrus raised his hand. "I was going to ask nicely! And probably twist your arm because I'd say something like, 'If you won't help this child, are you worthy to guard the Tree, etc'." Dream nodded. "I see." He waved a hand, and the Gaster Blaster disappeared. "You do realize I could have just taken the child from you, helped them, and left you out here to rot, right?" Papyrus hadn't thought of that. He didn't say anything, but to Dream, silence must have been louder than words. "Your heart betrays you, Papyrus." He walked over to Papyrus. "Where are my manners? Please come inside, I haven't had guests in so long." He gestured to Papyrus, then started around the Tree. Papyrus followed, and as Dream walked, he tore open a hole in space. It was like a shortcut, but their was no subtlety to it.

He found himself in a small, dimly lit kitchen. There was an island crowded with old food containers, pizza boxes, soda cans, and tupperware full of stuff that might have been food once. On the disused counter, a small army of half full containers containing soda, juice and stuff that looked suspiciously like wine stood vigil. Everything besides the counter and the cabinets was quite dusty, and looked like it hadn't been used in ages. Dream's right eye lit up, a spotlight in the gloom. "I remember why I usually don't come here." Papyrus gestured to the boxes. "It's filthy?" Dream shook his head. "No, it's the temptation." Dream walked over to one of those old containers and grabbed one. "This lo mein is almost a month old, yet is still calls to me." He stuck his fingers in and pulled out a long, flat noodle, which he fed into his mouth. He glanced over at Papyrus, and must have seen the disgusted expression the taller skeleton was wearing, because he quickly set the container down. "Anyway, this is too dirty. The table's better for surgery anyway." 

Dream started out of the room, his eye light going with him, casting Papyrus back into pitch darkness. He hurried after his host. "Surgery?" He followed Dream into the next room, a small dining room with three chairs, two of them with plates and forks set out. They were covered in dust, and looked like they hadn't been touched in years. Only a third of the table had been dusted. Dream called up his magic, and levitated the plates and forks over to one of the nearby shelves, and then sent a rolling wave of white-gold flame over the table, disintegrating the dust and leaving the table spotless. He patted it. Papyrus set the child down. 

Dream looked them over. "As I thought. Did you sense their other personality?" Papyrus gave Dream a blank look. Dream shook his head. "Nevermind. This child's soul is fragmented." He laid his hand on the child, bright light emanating from the bones. As he did, the child's clothes disappeared, and their skin turned invisible. But instead of human innards, Papyrus saw a great surging sea of red light, roiling in the shape of the human's body. Around the red light, there was a golden cage, containing and channeling the flow of light. But part of the golden cage had corroded, and the metal there was brown and red, and thin chains of black stretched from the rotten part, winding their way up and down the bars of light, and a few even dipped down into the red. Dream tsked. "This is some of the best needlework I've seen in a long time." This thought seemed to trouble Dream. He chewed on his knuckle bone. "Did he say anything to you?" Papyrus thought hard. "He said he worked for a Demon, that he was its slave or something." Dream tapped his chin. "The slave of the Demon?"

Papyrus nodded. Dream shook his head. "This is much worse than I dared imagine." His hands crackled with white sparks, and ghostly flames emerged from the joints of the fingers, forming into razor blades. Dream began slicing through the thin chains, the thin chains disintegrating into black sparks. While one hand sliced, the other darted through the air, catching the black sparks and containing them within a haze of white. Papyrus watched in silence as the Dreamer worked, the nimble movements of their fingers and the pain from his injuries both serving to leave him in a daze. So it seemed like no time at all when Dream sliced the last chain and wiped some sweat from his brow. "Impressive needlework, as I said." He remarked to no one in particular. Then he turned to the corroded part of the cage of light. Papyrus leaned over. "Can you cut that out?" Dream jumped. "Ah, well no." He rubbed his head. Papyrus felt a surge of curiousity. "Am I distracting you?" Dream shook his head. "No, I'm, just," he hesitated. "You look a lot like someone I once knew." Papyrus put his hand on Dream's shoulder. "The past is dust." Dream stared at the hand, then turned back to his patient. Papyrus removed his hand, and pretended not to have noticed how Dream had shuddered. 

"Anyway," Dream continued. "I can't just hack it out. I mean, I could, but it might permanently damage the soul its growing out of." Papyrus let his good arm droop. "So its like a parasite attacking a host?" Dream snapped his fingers, his eyes still on the kid. "That's a great analogy. Why didn't I think of that?" Papyrus moved over to the other side of the table. "So, can you help them?" Dream sneered contemptuously. "Who the heck do you think I am?" His right hand began pouring white light, which congealed and thickened, forming into a jelly like substance. He poured it over the corroded area of the kid's soul, and sculpted it like a plaster cast, forming an inch long sheath over the polluted areas. Dream then tapped it, and the white light hardened, into a solid construct of light. Dream removed his hands from the child, and suddenly their skin returned and their clothes reappeared, leaving them still slightly bloodied and battered, but quite alive on his table. Dream touched their forehead, and the blood dried up, the vines retracted back into their body, and the ends of the their fingers sealed. Dream gave them a long look, then waved his hand, cleaning their clothes, and causing new glowers to bloom on their neck and exposed shoulder. Papyrus gave him a sour look. Dream smiled innocently, and grabbed a table cloth from off a nearby shelf. More white flames banished the dust, leaving the table cloth pristine. He bundled it up and placed it under the kid's head, who murmured in their semi-conscious state. "Now, let's fix you, Mr. Stoic." 

Dream took him back into the filthy kitchen and offered him some old Chinese food. Papyrus squinted at the chicken. "Hasn't that gone bad by now?" Dream shook his head. "The Crossroads is above time. No one ages here, nothing decays, and nothing rots. This food is as good as the day I got it." He grabbed a piece and tossed it into his mouth. Papyrus watched Dream's face with careful intensity. He smirked when Dream's face contorted as into a confused smile. Dream swallowed hard. "It is a bit colder, though." He set the kitchen down and pulled up a stool. "Sit." Papyrus sat. "Are you still mad at me?" Dream shook his head. "Frustrated, maybe. But not angry. 'King and Lionheart'." He conjured up more white light, and touched the place where Papyrus' right arm had been sliced off. Papyrus had a quip ready, but it died in his throat as he watched a new pair of bones sprout from the wound, and rapidly grow. In a few seconds, Dream had totally repaired his injury. Dream poked him in some other places, patching a few small holes in his bones. "There, easy." Dream sat down next to him, and started to wolf down the cold chicken. Papyrus had been restored, but he was still struck by a bone deep weariness. "Can't you do something about this?" He gestured to himself. Dream raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I could. But if we never hurt, we would never learn."

Papyrus glared at Dream, who studiously ignored it. "What lesson is this supposed to teach me?" Dream chewed on some month old chicken. "First, the value of rest." He swallowed. "Secondly, don't pester your elders with a minor problem that you can easily fix." Dream stood. "If you want to rest, come with me. I have a guest room where you can sleep." Papyrus hauled himself to his feet and followed Dream, who left the room, passed by the sleeping Frisk, and into another hall. "Who says I want to rest?" Dream said nothing, leading him down the new hall. This one led to a flight of steps made of carved wood. Papyrus followed Dream up the steps, his feet aching from all the walking he had been doing. "I didn't come here just so you could heal that kid." Dream led him to a small room with a well made bed. The room was pristine, and looked like it hadn't been touched in years. Furthermore, since their was no dust, Dream never came in here. Papyrsu crossed his arms. "It is about my brother." Dream crossed his arms. "Sleep first." Papyrus thought about protesting, but the look in Dream's eye was the same as the one he wore outside the tree. Iron hard, with not an ounce of flexibility. So he settled into the softness of the bed. "Can I at least ask one question?" He mumbled. Dream dimmed his eye-light, causing the shadows to envelop most of the room. "Fine, but only one."  
"Why Reverie?"  
Dream snickered. "It was either that or Daydream, which I felt was too obvious. And Fantasy was too lewd." Papyrus grunted in agreement, then let his body draw the black curtains across his eyes. Papyrus passed out and vanished into sleep. Dream watched him for a moment, before departing, carefully shutting the door behind him.

Profile:  
Name- Dream  
Ability- King and Lionheart

Dream has the ability to instantly revert any material object back to any previous state. This allows him to repair any object he touches or change any person back into any previous state their body was in- including the healing of wounds.


	8. Chapter 8

Papyrus woke in another strange place. It was darker than before, and the bed was softer. Papyrus summoned up a blue bone, casting electric blue radiance through the small room. He thought hard to remember where he was. Dream's guest room. The Guardian of the Tree. "And now," Papyrus said to no one in particular. "My ticket out of this dump." He glanced over at the glowing bone, and was suddenly struck by a pang of loneliness. "Hey Pappy, check this out!" He heard Sans say as he summoned a dozen bones. "I can make art of my magic! I'm thinking about spelling out my name." Papyrus felt orange sparks pooling near the edge of his right eye socket. "Sans," he thought. The urge to cry was very strong for a moment. 

Papyrus covered up one eye, and wiped away the tears forming there with a thumb. "Cry later Papyrus. Tears are for the dead, and Sans is still alive." He said it with more conviction then he felt. The blue bone bobbing along beside him, Papyrus headed out of the room and down the stairs, back toward's Dream's kitchen. As he came closer, he saw the flickering orange glow of candlelight, and the soft murmur of voices.  
"It's so wonderful! Did you carve him out?"  
"No, as much as I'd like too, I couldn't. He stank of rot, a stain upon you. But that could have hurt you."  
Papyrus entered the dining room and passed by a pair of candles sitting on the table. The two plates from earlier had been reset, though the table was spotless now. Pspyrus passed through the dining room into the kitchen, to see Dream resting an elbow on his counter, while the human pranced around his island. "You think I haven't been hurt before, Mr. Dream?" They grinned a cocky smile. "DT fixes everything, you know." Papyrus appraised the kid. He didn't sense the oily charisma or reckless anger, and certainly no murderous intent from them. The kid had taken off his sweater, and belted it around his waist. Underneath they wore a wife-beater, with their flower blossoms on full display. They noticed Dream looking over at the door, and turned to see what was up. Seeing Papyrus, their smile faded a bit. "Papyrus?" Papyrus hesitated, then walked into the room. "Stretch." He took out his sunglasses and slipped them on, then leaned up against the wall near the entrance the dining room. "Good to finally meet the non-psycho living in your skull." The kid flinched at that, and Dream gave Papyrus a cold stare. Papyrus ignored the stare. The kid rubbed their bare arms. "Yeah, sorry about that. I can usually keep him down, but," the kid shuddered. Papyrus suddenly felt bad for being so crass. But Dream evidentally did not get the hit. "But what?" The kid slyly stole a glance at Dream, before their eyes darted toward the ground. Dream stared at them for a moment, then walked over to the island and pulled the stool that Papyrus had sat in a few short hours earlier. "You hungry?" He smiled and patted the stool. The kid turned toward him. Papyrus watched Dream smile the most radiant smile he had ever seen from a monster with no lips. 

The kid sat down, and Dream walked over to his fridge. "I think I might have some food in here." He opened it and started rummaging around inside, and Papyrus sauntered over to the island. He poked at some of the takeout boxes, his sudden lack of energy urging him to start shoveling old noodles into his mouth. But he resisted, watching Dream. He was almost certain Dream was bluffing. Someone who ate out this much wouldn't have cooked food in his fridge. Dream pulled his head out. "You know, I have just the thing for you." The other two watched, as Dream stuck his head back in, then removed it, along with his arms. In his hands, he held a single piece of white china, with a glowing fruit on it. It looked like an apple, but translucent, crackling with ghostly electricity. All the colours of the rainbow shone within its misty interior, and as its light fell upon Papyrus, he felt a bone deep warmth fill him. Dream walked over to them, a hard look on his face. "I have a question for you two." He gestured to the food on the island. "Are you hungry?" Papyrus nodded, and watched the kid mimic him. Dream raised an eyebrow. "Then why don't you have some of that food? Go ahead, take as much as you like." Papyrus didn't move, and neither did the kid. Dream gave them an exaggerated look. "So you guys aren't hungry?" The kid shook their head. "Yes, but we don't want this. We want that." Papyrus nodded in affirmation. "Ditto on that, kiddo." The kid gave him a look over their shoulder. Papyrus returned a cheeky smile. Dream walked over to the island and slapped his arm down. Then he ran it across the smooth stone, sending containers of food flying everywhere. He set the fruit down in the middle of the now clear island, and placed his two hands on either side of it. 

"Are you absolutely sure?" He gave them a look of such intensity, Papyrus almost recoiled. It was like when an enemy broadcast their murderous intent, except this wasn't murderous rage. This was iron justice, the unbending rod of the law. No, The Law. Capital T, capital L. Before him stood those concepts made manifest, a fist of righteousness. Papyrus suddenly felt very small. Judging by the way the kid seemed ready to burrow into the counter, they seemed to agree. Dream let them squirm for a minute, then continued. "This is the fruit of the Tree of Hope and Life. It is pure hope, pure power. To consume it is to have the power to bend reality, to change fate, to alter your destiny into something more desirable. In the hands of someone pure hearted, it can bring about enormous good. But in the hands of a wicked monster," Dream clicked his bony fingers on the counter. "It would be very bad?" Orde asked. Dream looked up at the kid, his right eye-light twinkling. "You have no idea." Dream hesitated, before continuing. "I am the Guardian of the Tree. It is my duty to protect it against outside forces that would destroy it. But I must also protect it against internal forces. The corrupt, the villainous. They too seek its power, to undo fate, to upend the order of the Cosmos. I must evaluate the hearts of all who come before me. And if any foe should manage to slip past my watch and seize one of the fruits, whether by stealth or force of arms, it is my responsibility to hunt them through all the worlds, and to judge them." 

His right eye blazed like the sun. "So tell me, do you really want some of this fruit?" The kid looked at it with longing eyes, but then shook their head. "I don't know if I can." Dream's eye-light went out, causing the other two to blink as the soft reign of the candles was restored. "I knew you had a heart of gold, but I didn't believe it." He laughed heartily, and gave the kid a soft look. The kid blushed, murmuring into their hands. Dream's gaze lost some of its affection as he glanced at Papyrus. "What about you?" Papyrus had his answer. Since he arrived here, it had been his goal. "Dream, I do. But more then that, I want you." Dream raised an eyebrow. "Me?" He put his hand to his forehead. "You're so forward. I might end up fainting from your manly bravado." Stretch rubbed his eyebrow ridges. "Dream, you know what I'm talking about." Dream kept up his embarrassed look for a second, before it split into a cheesy grin. "Sorry, I felt it was a little too tense in here." Paprus said nothing. The kid mumbled loudly, "But you're the one who made it serious in the first place."  
"It's rude to point fingers!"


	9. Chapter 9

Dream took the plate and tapped the apple. "You certain you don't want a bite?" PaPyrus crossed his arms. "I just need your help Dream. My brother is in trouble, and I swore I'd rescue him." He stuck out his jaw at the Dreamer. "And I'm not the type to make oaths rashly." Dream shrugged. "Suit yourself." He wandered over to his fridge and placed the glimmering fruit back inside. Dream shut the door, then turned back to them. "So, why don't you introduce yourself. Stretch already extended you that courtesy." The kid turned back toward Papyrus. "Hello. My name is Frisk, but since I heard that Ash City was a place of new beginnings, I decided that from now on my name is Orde." Dream nodded, somewhat pleased. He wandered over and began scooping up the takeout boxes that he had knocked off the island. "Just let me clean up here, and then we'll get going." Orde watched Dream start to gather his fallen food, before turning to Papyrus. "So you too are really going after the Demon?" Papyrus kept his eyes on Dream. "Yeah, that's my plan. But I never heard whether or not Dream would help me." Dream gave them a sour look. "Do you consider me so heartless?" Papyrus didn't trust himself to answer that. Orde was similarly silent. Dream snorted. "Maybe you're laying the 'stoic warrior sage' thing a bit too far, Dream." He finished pulling the last carton off the floor and onto the counter. "Alright. I'll help you, Stretch. But there's something you should know first." 

Dream led them to a room far below his kitchen, down a spiral staircase. As they descended down, the dark wood that had made up the floor, ceiling, and walls of Dream's house vanished, replaced with hard white stone. A shaft had been bored down through the wood and into the stone, a vertical tunnel into the depths of the Crossroads. As they went further down, gaps in the stone appeared, large enough to stick your head or arm out of. A hot wind whistled through these holes, and Papyrus lagged behind Dream and Orde to peer out one of the holes. Above him, he saw cavernous emptiness, except for the shaft of stone going down. It wasn't dug into the earth, he realized. It had been buried. The stone roof of the cavern was lost to darkness, except for a small patch of white stone around the glowing base of the Tree. The bottom-most part of the tree stuck through the stone, but where their should have been roots, there was nothing. "Ahem?" Papyrus pulled his head back inside, to see Dream irritably tapping his foot. Orde was looking back at him, confused. Papyrus said nothing, and started after them. 

Down and down they went, until they finally reached the bottom. At the bottom of the stairs there stood a massive door of steel, at least a foot thick and emblazoned with ancient monster runes. A large wheel sat in the center, and tucked underneath it was a small dial surrounded by numbers. Dream blocked the small dial with his body, and then entered the combination. Then he yanked on the wheel. The door slid open smoothly. Inside there was a long, cavernous room. It was mostly dark, like the rest of the dwelling. Dream's eye-light was not sufficient to light such a place, merely creating a lone pool of light for them to shelter in. Dream walked toward the center of the room, leaving it up to Orde and Papyrus to keep up. In the center, they found a cluster of large stones, each one about as large as a bathtub filled with concrete, then propped up in a semi-circle. Their outsides were craggy and rough, but the insides were polished smooth and carved in the same runic script that seemed to cover everything the Dreamer owned. Dream touched the stone. "Live." 

Orde gasped as the runic script began glowing with white light. The light spilled out from them, travelling down into the ground. Lines carefully hammered into the stone floor began glowing, gleaming ribbons of light amidst the darkness. As the light spread down these glowing ribbons, sparks of magic leapt into the air, forming tiny specks of multicoloured light that floated in the air. Before their eyes, an exact replica of the night sky above the Crossroads appeared, hovering above their heads. Dream smiled smugly as they gawked in amazement. "What is this?" Orde asked, still enrapt by the bobbing stars. "A map." Dream answered simply. "It can show you pretty much every place in the whole of the Cosmos." Papyrus took off his glasses. "So how am I supposed to find the Demon in all of this?" His tone was tinged with more than a little desperation. Papyrus suddenly realized how hard the task he had taken up would be. Or in the words of Dream, how big the world was. 

Dream smiled sadly in their direction. "The simple answer is, you can't. There are too many dark corners, too many stones for him to crawl under." He paused, musing. "That is, unless you're me." Papyrus and Orde both looked at Dream. Dream's eye-lights flared, not glowing brighter, but boring inward, revealing the same sharp-eyed gaze that disconcerted them before. "My vision is sharp. I can see justice, honor, and courage. These eyes allow me to weigh the souls of Monsters with a glance. But they're not perfect. I can only see someone's good qualities. Bad qualities are invisible to me. But if a person possesses a certain deficit of good, it is only natural that their heart be filled with its opposite." He gestured up to the artifical stars twinkling overhead. "As such, when the amount of pure hearted souls begins to decline, and a star grows dimmer and dimmer to my eyes, then I know that something is wrong there. Or rather, someone good is not there." Orde scratched the skin around the blossoms dotting their neck. "So is that why you need this map?" Dream affirmed that, turning his head to look up into the observatory. "To my vision, some of these stars are barely there. Fuzzy, indistinct blurs. Others," his voice dropped a little. "Others have been swallowed by a fog of darkness. The Miasma" Dream tapped a few buttons, and suddenly the stars disappeared, and the ceiling of the room began glowing with white light, dazzling all beneath it. The room was now totally lit, and Dream exited from the circle of large stones. He walked over to them. Papyrus crossed his arms at Dream. "So the only way to find the Demon is to sit around and wait for him to crawl out of the shadows and start pulling people's arms off?" The question came off as more angry then he intended, but Dream just nodded sadly. 

Dream turned to face them. "I don't have any easy answers, Stretch." Papyrus crossed his arms. He couldn't help being disappointed, but Dream was too helpful to be a target of his animosity. So he settled for pouting. Orde watched this, tapping their chin. Then they spoke up, directing a question toward Dream. "Where does Error dwell?" Dream raised an eyebrow at that. Then he took a step forward and leaned in toward Orde. "It might not be best to discuss this in from of Stretch." Papyrus put his glasses back on. "And why is that?" Dream gave him a concerned look, rubbing his hands. "I don't want you to worry more than you have too." Papyrus gave him a glowering look. "I doubt you could make me worry anymore then I already am." He snapped his fingers, orange sparks flying. "Hit me, baby." Dream looked over at Orde, who nodded, as if to say, "He asked for it." Dream rubbed his skull, then sighed. "Fine, but you asked for it. I have little information on his domain, but apparently it is a section of void split off and infused with the crackling energies of destruction. He is the only one who can access it. It is called the Anti-Void, to distinguish it from the normal Void. Furthermore, the Anti-Void is hidden, shielded from my vision and all divination. The only way to find him is for him to leave it." Papyrus wilted a little. "Wow, you're right. That didn't help me." He leaned heavily against one of the stones, and began sliding down the bumby stone, resting his chin on his knees. Dream turned back to Orde. "That's why I didn't want to bring it up. It's a depressing fact." Orde looked over at Papyrus, then walked over to him. 

"Stretch, do you know what ability I have?" Papyrus gave them a somewhat miserable look. "No, except for what Poppy used on me. 'Inside of Me', is what he called it." Orde nodded. "But that is merely his ability. I also have a different power. Using 'DETERMINATION', I can travel through time." That made Papyrus look up at him. Orde glanced over his shoulder at Dream. "You see, when I was in my home universe, I could access a place where there was a 'file', for the lack of a better word. This was a place where all of a universes' information was stored. So presumably, all universes have a similar 'file', where their information is stored. Thus, if the Anti-Void is probably like a small universe, it must have a 'file'. If we had a way to find it, we could break in and rescue Stretch's brother." Dream stared for a second, the cogs of his brain firing up into full speed. Papyrus leaped off the ground. "Do you think its possible?" His voice was breathless, full of desperate hope. Dream hesitated for a moment, before gravely inclining his head. "In theory."

He started walking, heading back towards the stairs. Orde and Papyrus looked at each other, then both moved, hurrying after him. Papyrus had longer legs, so he made it first. He heard Dream muttering to himself as he crunched the numbers, magically. As they left the circle of standing stones, Dream called out, "Sleep." The stones stopped glowing, and the lights began flickering off, one by one. Dream continued toward the stairs, his eye-light flaring into existence, casting a spotlight before them in the pitch darkness that was settling all around them. As they reached the steps, Dream turned toward them, blinding them again. "Alright, Stretch. This might not be as impossible as I thought." He opened the door the steps. "Let me make some preparations and we'll go. I need to get some of my gear and to get Orde in some more suitable lodgings." He glanced back. "I also need to find my cape." Orde cleared his throat. "Dream, can you dim your light? It's hurting my eyes." Dream's eye-light dwindled in power, so that Papyrus did not have to squint. He glanced over at Orde, who rubbed their eyes. "Thank you, Dream. But may I ask one other favor?"

Dream gave him a wary look. "That depends on the favor." Orde nodded. "My home universe was a very dangerous place. In it, I did not have the luxury of choosing to do good or ill. You had to do terrible things. I tried to resist, but in the end, it was too much for me. Poppy formed, and where I was weak, he was strong. But I suppressed Poppy when I didn't need him, but I feel he came to resent me and I him. So when a one-eyed stranger appeared and offered me a way to get rid of Poppy, I jumped at his offer. He said it would be risky, but it might rid me of him. And since I was in a corner, stuck between myself and Poppy, I agreed to do as he said." Orde cleared his throat. "But it was a trick. The one-eyed stranger, he crawled into my brain, into my soul," Orde began shivering. Papyrus stretched out an arm, to try and console Orde, but Dream waived him off. "Go on, Orde." Orde awallowed. "I don't remember what happened next- I can't. Next thing I knew, I was trapped in my own body, and Poppy was in complete control. Before I had been able to slow him down, but now the brakes were gone. I haven't able to regain control of my body until you trapped Poppy a few hours ago. I've been trapped in there, looking through my own eyes, but unable to do anything but scream." Orde took a deep breath, then stood back up, straightening their spine until they looked Dream in the eye. "I want to find the Demon, and prevent anyone from having to see something like that ever again. Please," he turned to Papyrus just a bit. "Allow me to accompany you."


	10. Chapter 10

"I am not wearing this." Papyrus informed Dream, who Papyrus had turned his back too. He held a large silver belt, with an enormous buckle engraved with the word, "FANTASY." Dream laughed politely, still hidden by Papyrus' persepctive. "Well I couldn't have given that to the kid, could I?" After a minute, he coughed politely. "You can turn around now." Papyrus turned, to see that Dream had changed his outfit, as he was now wearing a golden cape clasped with a star-brooch, a blue tunic, dark blue pants, high golden boots, and a silver belt; "DREAM" engraved on the belt buckle. "Why did you change your outfit?" Papyrus asked, setting down the belt on the bed between them. Dream turned to examine himself in the full-length mirror behind him. "That outfit earlier is just my street clothes- what I wear when I'm not trying to freak the locals. But this is a matter of grave importance, so I'm going all-out, in my full capacity as the Dreamer, and the Guardian of the Tree of Hope and Life." Papyrus frowned at that. "Well, I appreciate the offer, but is this really something that important?" 

Dream ignored that last part, but Papyrus was too busy looking around to notice. He was standing on the other side of Dream's suite, checking the place out. In between them was a four-poster bed, and behind them was a small door leading to a massive bathroom, though Papyrus could only tell that because some of the light from the candle Dream had brought in was reflecting off a giant porcelain tub, or maybe some kind of massive sculpture. Dream finished adjusting his outfit, then turned back to Papyrus. "Listen, Stretch, I know that belt clashes with the 'stylish hobo' vibe you got going on, but the belt is more than an accessory. It holds the lost innocence of a child. To my vision, it is like a signal flare. As long as I'm looking, I can find it anywhere." Papyrus mumbled, "But why do I have to have the one that makes me look like a douche?" Dream made no sign that he heard. 

There was a knock at the door. "Mister Dream?" Dream turned in its direction. "I have pants on, Orde." Orde opened the door, looking the same as when Papyrus had met him this morning, long black hair flowing like oil, black wife beater on, sweater tied around their waist, with a line of flower blossoms growing around their neck and across their right shoulder. Except now they wore a silver belt like Papyrus and Dream's, except theirs said "Hallucination," and they wore it like a bandolier over their left shoulder. "You ready to go?" Orde asked. Dream nodded, and grabbed a pair of fingerless gloves off the dresser. "Come on Stretch." He slipped on his gloves. Orde let Dream past him, then fell in behind them. Papyrus thought about complaining some more, but it was clear that Dream would not be budging on this issue. So he picked the belt up, clipped it on, then blew out the candle Dream had left across from his mirror. Then he hurried after the two of them. 

Dream led them to another room Papyrus had not been into yet, this one up several flights of steps. At the top of almost a hundred steps, there was a massive circle of stone set into the stone floor. The stone was polished black granite, inlaid with circles of gold and silver. Gems and other elaborate decorations were set into the stone in specific places, turning this stone slab into a massive magical amplifier. Papyrus had to admire the craftsmanship. "Dream, can I ask you something?" Dream pointed over at a cluster of rubies. "Of course. Can you stand there, Stretch?" Stretch wandered over to the rubies and stopped in a small circle of platinum wire, surrounded by a field of moonstones, dotted with polished rubies. "Why is everything here so old and well made, when Ash City is basically a shanty-town?" Dream was positioning Orde on another circle, his back turned to Papyrus. Dream hesitated for a moment. "Ash City was not a place born in good times. It is less of a city, and more of a massive refugee camp." He pushed Orde over a belt of sapphires. "Stand here please." Then he stepped over to a raised circle of gold in the center. "I wish I could do more for the people there, but ultimately they are on their own. I cannot waste time ministering to all of them. The Tree is too important." Dream readied his magic, sending it surging into the stone. The precious stones began to glow, flooding the room with light. The granite turned inky black, and all other color was obliterated, leaving them standing amidst darkness in a column of light. Papyrus felt the sudden sensation of weightlessness, and looked out into the darkness beyond the light. The room was gone, he realized. Dream had taken them somewhere else, and he had barely noticed. Orde glanced around, looking into the dark. "Stretch, where are we?" Papyrus shrugged. "I think we are beyond the Crossroads, maybe in the sky above? I mean, we could be,"  
"Do you mind!"  
Dream's voice carried a note of unmistakable authority, and Papyrus found the rest of his sentence snuffed out. He glanced over at Orde, who looked down into the black and said nothing. Then the darkness beneath them trembled, and they were suddenly hovering above a scintillating purple membrane. It rippled and wavered, and images of monsters appeared and disappeared all over it. Papyrus looked down at it in wonder. Dream turned to the two of them. "Alright, we have reached our destination. But let me say something first. This is a different universe. Know this. You may see people you know, places you've been, and other things like that. Remember this. Those are not the things that you remember. They are just cheap copies." He gestured down to it. "Furthermore, stick close to me. This is part of the Astral Frontier, where the Miasma and the Shining Land meet. We might encounter something dangerous." Dream gave them both a softer look. "I know you too are pretty strong, but there are things out there that could eat you for breakfast. You hear me?" Papyrus nodded gravely. Orde gave Dream an unironic salute. "You got it, Mr. Dream." Dream nodded, then stretched his arms out, and threw his palms down. They descended into the purple light. 

There was no flash of light or sudden explosion of colour, merely the sensation of leaving the warm, stale air of Dream's portal and immersing yourself in water that was hot enough to make you feel ripples of cold across your skin. The purple light crept up Papyrus' body, until it swallowed him. For a second, all he saw was the shadows of his companions and a purple expanse. Next thing he knew, he was standing across from Dream in the Underground. They were in a snowy forest, one that looked eeriely like the one around Snowden. Orde stood off to the side, in the same place he'd been standing when they left. Dream stood in the middle of them, looking around. But something did seem off about Dream. Compared to a few seconds ago, he seemed different: shorter. That was the only way Papyrus could describe it. 

Dream gave them an irritated huff. "Alright. Come with me. We need to get to Snowden." He started off in a random direction, his cloak flapping behind him as a freezing wind came howling out of the trees. Papyrus shivered a bit, as did Orde. They started after Dream, tromping through the snow. Orde took the sweater off his waist and pulled it back down over his head, though they stil adjusted it so it bared their shoulder, showing the red and blue poppies blooming there. Papyrus watched them do it, then cleared his throat. "Hey Orde, I got a question. Why do you show off your flowers so much? After all, aren't they a sign of Poppy's influence over you." Orde seemed to think about that. "No, I never really thought about that. I just thought they looked cool." They looked away quickly. Papyrus looked at them for a minute, then looked away. "Well one day, you'll have to tell me the reason." Especially since that was a transparent lie. There was no way Orde had not thought about those flowers. He wondered if they hurt the kid. A monster's body wasn't hard enough to resist extensive intrusion, which is why humans were able to fight monsters with everything from weapons to random pieces of garbage. If you could penetrate a monster's defenses, almost anything would do. 

As they walked along, Dream turned back to them. "Now remember, we are strangers here. Be civil, be polite, and don't draw anymore attention then necessary. Arrogant guests tend not to be invited back." He turned back around, straightening his cape. Papyrus noted the sudden uncertainty in Dream's steps. In Ash City, even when hiding in plain sight as Reverie, he strutted around like the entire world belonged to him. But now, even with his sunglasses hiding his eyes, Papyrus could see the smallest mote of hesitation, and, dare he say it, fear in Dream's steps. "Dream?" He asked. "Are you alright?" Dream stopped, half turning to look at him. "You need to stop prying in other people's business, Stretch." His voice was hard, and his gaze unforgiving. Both Papyrus and Orde stopped, looking intently. Dream scowled for another second, before his skull split into a silly grin. But the grin faded as Dream turned back. "It's a long story." They started forward again. Orde took a step off the path and loped forward, toward Dream. "So, are you going to tell us?"

"Certainly," Dream said. But as he was about to continue, the game trail they were traveling down suddenly split open, and a pit full of long, barbed spikes opened up beneath Dream. Dream fell in, and sides of the pit trap being pulled down, trapping him at the bottom. Dream yelped in pain, and Orde leaped forward to try and catch him. "Dream!" But as he did, Papyrus' arms shot out and grabbed Orde. He was faster, and grabbed the back of the kid's sweater. "Be careful," he said as he pulled Orde away from the trap. Orde tore himself free, shooting Papyrus a murderous look. Papyrus raised his hands. "Easy Orde. Think. If you get caught up in it, you can't help rescue him." The dark look died away, and Orde crossed his arms. "Yeah, I suppose," they muttered, in a tone that suggested they were not feeling very cooperative.   
"Hey guys? I don't mean to cut in?"   
Papyrus and Orde both looked at each other, suddenly embarrassed. They both peered over the edge and down into the pit where Dream was. Dream had fallen down onto a bed of spikes, but rather then be impaled by the spikes, he had used magic to summon up a wall of bones under him, making a solid platform across the sharpened tips. Dream had his back facing the spikes, laying down on his bones. His feet were in the air, and his arms spread out to the sides, touching the dirt walls of the trap. "Don't suppose you could give me a hand?" He asked. Papyrus had the cheeky thought to make some kind of joke, but he couldn't think of anything. Suddenly, they heard a noise. Orde's head twitched in that direction. "What was that?" Dream asked, looking the same direction as Orde. As he did, his eyes seemed to grow unfocused, and Papyrus followed Orde's gaze. 

Orde and Dream were both looking off to the left, towards a large elm. Behind it, Papyrus heard a squeak. Papyrus didn't see anyone, but there was something behind that tree. Orde gestured toward the tree, then traced a half circle in the air. Papyrus got the memo. He found a suitable shortcut, and teleported into a flanking position in the forest, so he saw the offending tree in profile. He saw no one there. The forest was as empty as the path. He started forward, hands in his pockets, magic bubbling in his gut. His sunglasses cut the glare coming off the snow to nothing, so there was no chance of anyone surprising him. He walked over to the suspicious tree, and looked around. His eyes darted around behind his shades, noting the details before him. The tree where they had heard the squeak had a circle of dirt that had been cleared of snow and dead leaves. A trail of footprints crossed the snow before the circle, but they stopped when they reached the dirt. Papyrus knelt and examined the footprints. They were small and tree-toed, but the snow they had made in had started to collpase. Papyrus stood and walked around to the other side of the tree. He waved at Orde, who waved back, confusion on their face. Papyrus was about to head down to the path, when suddenly he felt a presence behind him. He whipped around, to be faced by a short, fat dinosaur in a tie-dye shirt and denim overalls, with a lurid ballcap on her head. She scrambled backwards, surprise and fear evident on her face. "Ahh! Running in the-" Papyrus didn't let her summon her magic, and nailed her in the face with a blindingly fast punch. She staggered, her lip splitting, flecks of dust spilling free.

Papyrus was about to demand to know who she was, or maybe hit her some more, when suddenly a white bone flew between them, boring a fist-sized hole in the ancient tree. Dream spoke. "Stretch, who is that?" His voice was quiet, but dripping malice. Papyrus looked at the dinosaur woman. He could tell what Dream was doing, and he decided to play along. So he dropped his voice to a whisper. "That is my master, Mister Dream. He is a bit worried right now, as he just stumbled into a puzzle trap. If you come with me to see him, you can explain you're not a threat." Papyrus glowered at her. "However, if you don't, he might take your head off with his next shot." The dinosaur woman gave him a long look, fear evident on her long features. Papyrus fixed her with a stern look, then offered her his hand. She hesitated. When one monster offers their hand to another, it is not an intimate gesture of companionship like with humans. It is a gesture of peace and a cessation of hostilities. With a hand occupied, neither monster can do magic as well. All but the most talented prodigies find themselves crippled with only one hand. And even the most talented can't work as well when their opponent is within spitting distance. 

Papyrus let his other hand crackle with orange sparks. Her eyes went to that one. Papyrus opened that hand, allowing a pair of small bones to appear over it. "You can choose your own fate." The dinosaur woman shot him a horrified look, then glanced down at his open hand. She chewed her lip, looking back and forth between the two hands. One offered in peace, the other cupped to catch spilled dust. She decided that the former was a better idea. She reached out and took his offered hand. Papyrus dismissed the bones, as if he couldn't maintain them with only one hand free. That was a lie, of course, but she didn't need to know that. With the dinosaur in hand, he led her out past the tree and down to the game trail. As she saw Orde, she screamed and tried to pull away. "It's you! Chara!" Papyrus turned and grabbed her forearm, hauling her toward him. "Calm down!" Orde gave them a confused look. "Whose Chara?" They asked. The dinosaur squirmed and levered around Papyrus, so that the tall skeleton was between them and the human. "You're Chara, silly!" They said in a pained, whining tone. Papyrus kept a firm grip on them. "Relax. That is not Chara. That is Orde. They came with us from outside. I promise, they are not this 'Chara'." The dinosaur woman poked her head around Papyrus, and saw that Orde was still standing by the pit. Orde smiled politely, and waved. The dinosaur shifted back behind Papyrus. "Well, I don't remember Chara having flowers growing out of her. So where is this Mister Dream?" 

"Right here." Dream said from within the pit. A hail of stainless white-gold bones flew up out of the pit, slashing the trap to ribbos. A gaster blaster about the size of Papyrus' house rose out of it, with Dream crouching above its mouth, cape flapping behind him. "Hello." He stood, then jumped off, landing in the snow in front of Orde. He was surrounded by a halo of white light, a haze of magic that crackled around him. The magic dispersed in a flood, melting all the snow around Dream in a five-foot diameter circle, and sending a pulse of magic out through the forest, washing over the others harmlessly. Compared to when he had confronted Papyrus outside of the tree of Hope and Life, it wasn't overwhelming. But Papyrus still had to resist the urge to tremble. Even Orde, though carrying a magnificently powerful soul, still trembled a hair. 

But the effect was most pronounced on the dinosaur woman, who began shaking like a leaf. She let go of Papyrus, and he released her. Then she dropped down to one knee, bowing her head. "Please forgive me, my Lord!" Dream gave her a curious look for a moment, before kneeling down and patting her on the back of the head. "Why do you beg forgiveness, daughter?" His voice was low and soothing, and right now, it dripped compassion. The dinosaur woman lifted her head to him. "Why would I mad at you?" Dream asked. As he said that, he touched her lips, and his fingers crackled white. His magic passed through her, healing the wound on her lips. She looked on the verge of crying. He stood, pulling her to her feet, wiping away her tears. "Shhhh, it's alright." She hugged him. Paprus walked over to them, slowly watching this spectacle. The dinosaur woman sobbed a little, trembling with fear a little. "Who are you?" He smiled warmly at her. "I am Dream. These are my retainers, Orde and Stretch. Please don't worry about them. They were just concerned for my safety." She let go of him and drushed some of the slush off her jeans. "So, you're Drifters right? People not from our world?" Dream nodded. "That seems an apt description. I'm just here to meet someone I met a long time ago. It seems like another life." But as he said that, she wrinkled her nose. "Careful with that comparison. People tend to react poorly to references to 'other lives'." Dream's warm smile faded a bit, and Papyrus saw the cogs begin turning. But then it returned, though now tinged with concern. "That sounds quite bad. Can you tell me what's up? It's been a long time." She smiled at him. "Of course!"

Dream offered her his arm. She took it, and they very gingerly made their way around the pit trap, which had largely been melted into slag by Dream's bones. Orde and Papyrus fell in behind them. Orde just looked confused. "What's going on, Dream?" Papyrus looked down at him, suddenly worried he might not get it. So he summoned a dozen tiny bones on the kid's arm. They levitated in the air, interlocking to form letters. Letters that spelled out, "It's a trap." Then he said, "You know how Mister Dream is. He can't help himself when he finds someone in trouble." Papyrus whispered it in such a way that it was too loud to be a whisper, but just loud enough to be overhead. Dream of course, heard nothing. Orde didn't get it, but he shrugged as if to say, 'You're the boss.' Papyrus turned back to look forward, and pretended not to notice how the dinosaur woman's ears twitched when he pretended to play along with her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies everyone for the long delay. From now on, you can expect weekly updates, on the weekend. But for now, here's a present to tide you over until tomorrow

11 

They continued down the path while Gossamer, the dinosaur woman, informed Dream of recent events in this Underground. Papyrus could only see Dream's back, but he could see the weight that was being subtly added to his shoulders. Gossamer spoke of a Demon who had come to the Underground from out of the ruins. "So then the Demon just began slaughtering everyone. Down to the last froggit and child, none were spared. Some managed to escape into my lab, and I hid them there. But eventually, they worked their way through the underground, and were confronted by the Angel's Son. He tried to kill the human, but they were too powerful. They managed to fatally wound him however." Orde spoke up. "Wait, who?" Gossamer looked back at them. "The Angel's Son was wounded. The Demon was too powerful." She hmmed for a second. "Now where was I?" She chewed on one of her claws while thinking. "Ah yes. So the Angel's Son crawled away, and unleashed his power to reincarnate the world." 

Dream turned at the mention of that. "He reincarnated the world?" Gossamer would have cowered away, had she not been clinging to Dream's arm. "uhhh, yes! Everyone came back to life, and everything went back the way it was before the Demon came." Dream grumbled and rubbed his eyebrow ridge. "So do you guys think you can beat the Demon this time?" Gossamer shrugged, giving him a sheepish look. "Maybe. I hid the last time around, so you'd be better off asking a warrior. But while the Demon is basically invincible, there is a plan to defeat them." Dream nodded, then shot Papyrus and Orde a strange look. He looked concerned, and gestured to Gossamer, before jerking his thumb to the side. Papyrus got the message. Dream then turned back to Gossamer. "Well that is just depressing. I am so sorry about that."   
"Oh don't be, it isn't your fault."   
"Alright. So, what do you do when you're not being terrified by strangers in the woods?"  
As Dream said that, he put his hand on hers, and she pulled back a little. "Well, I like anime and stuff, and I sometimes-" Papyrus stopped listening. He turned down to Orde, who was looking back and forth in semi-confusion. Papyrus tapped him on the shoulder and spelled out with bones, "Be ready for anything." Orde gave him a confused look. "Are you sure?" They mouthed. Papyrus nodded gravely. Orde nodded, cracking their knuckles. 

Gossamer led them down the gametrail they had been on until they reached a larger trail. This was the footpath that led to Snowden, Papyrus thought. He remembered something, once he had been walking here with Sans. "Hey Papyrus, I got a question for you?" Sans had asked. He had grunted in response. Sans charged on ahead. "If we're Underground, where does all this snow come from?" Papyrus had smiled a wicked smile, but then quickly hid it behind a mask of grave seriousness. "I guess you're old enough to know."   
"Know what?"   
Papyrus had put on the saddest, most intense look he could manage with no face. "When the monsters descended into the underground, we found it was not unoccupied. Here in Snowden, there lived a race of pale-faced beasts. When he saw how different they were, Asgore decided that we could not share. So he ordered them destroyed. So the Royal Guard hunted them down, and scattered their dust all across Snowden." Then Papyrus had leaned down and scooped up a handful of snow. "And their dust," he breathed. "Was white as them!" Sans had recoiled, giving him a look of pure terror. Papyrus had been able to keep it together before, but not once he saw that face. He had burst out laughing.   
"That's not funny, Papyrus!"   
"Sorry bro. I couldn't resist. I hope you didn't think I was dead serious."   
Sans had thrown a snowball at him.

Orde grabbed his sleeve. "Papyrus, why are you crying?" Papyrus came back to reality, and noted the glittering orange sparks floating down from his concealed eye sockets. He stifled the leaking magic, and blew away the few sparks with a wave of his hand. "I'm not, that's just magic. Monsters cry normal tears, you know." Orde nodded sagely, clearly indicating they didn't believe a word. But the subject was dropped. As they wandered down the path, Gossamer describing to Dream some of her favorite animes, Orde huddling in their sweater like an old man on a porch, while Papyrus was noting the serenity of Snowden. He had always appreciated it, but now, after being away, it was a relief. Pure, clean air washed over them, the cold bracing and invigorating. As they walked down the path, they saw a small sentry station. A dog-man sat behind it, a lit dog treat in his mouth. It was Doggo, Papyrus thought. The thought warmed his frosty soul. But something was odd about Doggo. He wore a thick helm, and some bandages trickled out from under the helmet's rim. He looked like he had taken a pretty serious blow to the head. As he saw them coming, he stuck his head out. Alphys suddenly pulled out her phone. "Hold on a second, Dream. I have a message." She flipped it open, and Papyrus noted how it was an ancient flipphone with cute charms dangling off it. She punched some buttons and then thumped one with her clawed thumb. In the sentry station up ahead, Doggo pulled his head back inside. He drew something out and looked at it. Papyrus couldn't see it, as it was beneath the counter. But whatever he saw alarmed him, as he immediately charged out of the back door of the sntry station and ran for his life. 

Dream and Gossamer watched him go. Dream turned to face her. "What is he up too?" Gossamer gave them a shrug. "Beats me. Maybe he doesn't like strangers." She and Dream continued down the path, meandering along with not a care in the world. But Papyrus was growing more and more uncomfortable with every second this went on. The air was thick with tension, something was about to happen, and he did not feel ready for what was about to happen. Dream had some elaborate plan in mind, and the locals seemed to have their own agenda, but Papyrus hadn't been informed of any of that. Plus, things seemed screwy. Why was Gossamer dressed like that, when it was so cold? Why did Doggo run off without a word? This whole thing didn't pass Papyrus' sniff test. 

But then, before he could say so to Dream, they reached Snowden. The wind howled like a dying monster, chilling the hearts of all who heard it. But other then them and Gossamer, the street was abandoned. The usual crowds of gossiping monsters were nowhere to be seen. The town was utterly silent, as well. Grillby's was shuttered, with a "Closed" sign hanging on the front. The Library doors were shut, and other then that ghastly wind, it was quiet. "Do you think the Demon's already been here, Dream?" Papyrus asked, readying himself to fight. Dream shook his head. "I didn't sense anything. This area is still roughly the same." He glanced around. "And wouldn't there be dust piles?" Papyrus nodded. "Well, when is the Demon supposed to be here?" Gossamer looked like she was about to say something, when she was cut off.   
"Why friends, the Demon has already arrived!"   
The whole group of newcomers turned to see Papyrus, wearing a silly outfit, a red scarf, and a metal gorget step out from between two houses. "And I, the Great Papyrus, will be the one to apprehend you, Chara!" He jabbed a finger at Orde. "Now, prepare yourself!"


	12. Chapter 12

12 

Papyrus looked at this newcomer, who looked quite a bit like him. But this Papyrus was far more battered then he had ever been, with places where his bones had broken and refused, and furthermore, there was something off about him. He moved with them same bombastic confidence that usually carried Sans. Papyrus spoke up. "Hold on, they're the Demon?" He gestured to Orde. The Great Papyrus affirmed that. "Yes, they are. Although I don't remember those flowers. Chara, are you switching up your outfit?" Dream let go of Gossamer and faced the Great Papyrus. "Papyrus, this isn't Chara. This is Orde. Thye're not the human you are looking for." The Great Papyrus considered that, tapping his skull. "I suppose that makes sense. Those flowers look like they are growing out of the meat. That looks painful." Papyrus glanced over at Orde. Was that true? Orde didn't say anything, just shot him an innocent smile and scratched the area around a red blossom blooming out of the meat of their shoulder. 

The Great Papyrus shrugged. "Well, then I'm sorry Human. I didn't mean to call you a Demon." He wiped away a bead of sweat and laughed nervously. "So who are the rest of you?" Dream glanced over at Gossamer, then made the introductions. "This is Stretch, and my name is Dream." The Great Papyrus rested his hand on his sternum. "Well, I'm Papyrus, but I guess I already said that. Now where is my lazybones brother? I know he got my text." 

Just then, a small skeleton in drab blue armor with a mesh face-mask appeared at the end of the street behind Papyrus. He rose from his bent over position, his face twitching into a broad, grim smile behind his helm. He walked over to The Great Papyrus. "Bro, you need to get out of here." His eye-lights were gone, leaving his sockets bleak and dark. "I won't let you hurt my brother, Demon." Orde gestured to himself. "Are you talking to me?" The small skeleton growled at the gesture. "Who did you think I was talking about, Dream?" Dream laughed politely. "Sans, hi. How are you doing?" He crept to the side, blocking the small skeleton's view of Orde with his fluttering cape. The small skeleton turned to the Great Papyrus. "Pap, please leave. It's not safe for you to be so close to a human." The Great Papyrus sniffed. "I don't see why, SANS." SANS frowned. "Because, last time you wear within spitting distance of a human, they killed you." He made a slashing gesture across his throat. The Great Papyrus shurgged. "Well, if you say so. But I'm pretty certain I'd have remembered something as important as dying." But he turned and strode off down the street. SANS watched him go, then turned back to face them. 

"Dream, I want to thank you." SANS began. "Without the Fruit from the Tree of Hope and Life, I would have never been able to save my people from destruction." Dream rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, well thank you. But it was nothing, I just handed you the fruit." Papyrus was watching both of them, and he noted the slight differences between them. SANS was tall and proud, but he deliberately stood with poor posture, slouching in his armor. His eyelights were so dim you could hardly see them, and he radiated an almost tangible contempt. In short, he looked almost nothing like his brother. But Dream, he was the spitting image of the Sans he knew. He also noted that Dream seemed more nervous then usual. SANS continued. "Anyway, are you alright? You seem," SANS paused. "Nervous." Dream chuckled. "Maybe a little. I haven't been keeping track. Anyway, I was wondering if you could help us?" SANS considered that. "No." Dream smiled. "I'm glad you are," he stopped, noting SANS' cold smile. "Wait, did you say 'No'?" SANS grunted affirmative. "Dream, I like you. You cared about me enough to help a doomed world, to give me the power to try and stop the Demon, Chara. For that I thank you. And now, you have brought me another gift. A Human Soul." Dream raised an eyebrow at that. "What are, oh. Orde."   
SANS nodded. "Now it won't matter if Chara comes down here to finish us off. Because when they crawl out, I will have already broken the barrier and destroyed their people. Do onto others, Dream." Dream's countenance grew dark with rage. "SANS, listen to yourself. Don't you think that is what Chara would use to justify their actions?" SANS growled at that. "No, of course not. That filthy creature would never bother to justify themselves. I am the Angel's Son, the one who ate the fruit of the Tree of Hope and Life and I have the responsibility of protecting all the souls in this Underground. I have the responsibility to change 'fate'. Now stand aside." Dream scowled. "I refuse." SANS shook his head sadly. "I knew you would say that." Blue magic sparks began to coalesce around him. "But it is still disapointing."

"Mister Dream?" Orde asked. "What's going on?" Dream gestured to Orde and Gossamer. "Stay behind me. Stretch, cover me." Papyrus nodded, orange magic swirling up around him. SANS took them in, black sockets boiling with shadow. Then a single dark blue eye appeared in the right one. A dozen Gaster Blasters appeared around the group, spewing fire white. Dream threw a flurry of bones, chewing through the Gaster Blasters in front of them like they were soft clay. Papyrus grabbed Gossamer, who was directly in front of him, and yanked her out of the way. Like an runner sprinting for home base, Papyrus threw himself into a slide, skidding across the street into the side of the building flanking them. The Gaster Blasters pointed at him fired over their heads, missing them. He pushed Gossamer off and yelled at her, "Run!" Then he bolted back toward the fight. 

SANS teleported behind Dream and threw a dozen blue bones at his back. Then he attacked Orde, a pair of Gaster Blasters leaping toward the kid. SANS fired, and two giant blasts of white magic smashed into Orde. Dream side-stepped the bones flung his way. "SANS stop this! They've done nothing to you!" A stainless, gold edged Gaster Blaster appeared, a golden sunburst stamped on its forehead. It crackled, but did not fire. SANS turned his back on Orde, to face the two of them. Papyrus to his left, Dream directly ahead. Dream shot a look at Papyrus. "Check on Orde. I can handle this punk." Papyrus started to move, but SANS waggled a finger at him. "I wouldn't, if I was you." Papyrus looked past SANS, to see the two Gaster Blasters that had nailed Orde were still hovering over the human, white magic sparking out of them. "I'll kill your friend if you so much as move." Dream shot Papyrus a look. They're alive, was all the look said. Papyrus nodded, careful to not look too cocky. "Hey SANS," he said. SANS turned his left eye to look at him. "I bet I can pull Orde out of their before you can fire." Papyrus said, smiling to his audience. SANS said nothing. Dream smirked a little. "I'll take that wager." Papyrus smiled, and snapped his fingers at Dream. "Okay, but the mustard is on you after this." 

Then Papyrus moved. Faster then he had ever gone, blurring forward in a flurry of orange sparks, his right hand stretching out. SANS twisted as Dream began moving as well, dodging toward Orde from the other side. This was his chance. Papyrus shifted direction, instead of running toward Orde, he started toward SANS. Papyrus saw a Gaster Blaster start to materialize out of the void, blocking Dream's path, preparing to fire even as the bones finished forming. Then Papyrus' left fist smashed into SANS' face. SANS yelled, more shocked then hurt. screamed, his Gaster Blasters sputtering, never having been told to fire. He staggered, and Papyrus didn't let up. He formed a long bone and wielded it like a longsword, slamming it into the weaker armor underneath SANS arm. Then as his opponent staggered, he raised a forest of blue bones around him. SANS froze, the blue bones penning him in. Papyrus kept one eye on his opponent, and turned to face Dream, who had already reached Orde. "He alright?" 

Dream unleashed a hail of white bones which shattered the Gaster Blasters around Orde like they were glass shells. He then crouched and put his hand on the human's chest. "Orde, you alright?" In response, the human muttered something unintelligible. Dream gave Papyrus a thumbs up. "Let me heal him, and we'll be alright." He shot SANS a conflicted look. "No thanks to you." SANS growled at them, still trapped by the blue bones. "Don't get cocky. Do you think this is over?" Papyrus readied his magic. "Yes." Dream glared from where he crouched next to Orde. "Go ahead and move. Even if you are stronger then normal, that much magic will still cook you from the inside out." SANS looked around. "I'm done wasting words with you." He threw back his skull. "'Bulletproof Dreams!'" His voice roared out from him, striking Papyrus like a physical wave. Dream was thrown over, and clouds of snow were flung skyward. Papyrus felt a sudden surge of power, exactly like when Poppy used 'Inside of Me' on him, except it affected his entire body. Dream yelled something, and then darkness descended, plunging the Underground into absolute silence and stillness. Papyrus wanted to scream, but he couldn't. He hung in that darkness, as if he had been petrified and then hurled into an endless void. And then, he heard a voice. SANS. "We will now begin again. From the top, people." 

Dream's countenance grew dark with rage. "SANS, listen to yourself. Don't you think that is what Chara would use to justify their actions?" SANS growled at that. "No, of course not. That filthy creature would never bother to justify themselves. I am the Angel's Son, the one who ate the fruit of the Tree of Hope and Life and I have the responsibility of protecting all the souls in this Underground. I have the responsibility to change 'fate'. Now stand aside." Dream scowled. "I refuse." SANS shook his head sadly. "I knew you would say that." Blue magic sparks began to coalesce around him. "But it is still disapointing." 

Papyrus glanced around in confusion. He was standing behind Gossamer, exactly as he had been a minute ago. Orde was beside him, and Dream was beside Gossamer. SANS stood before them, his smile unchanged. "Dream," Papyrus said. "I know, Stretch." Dream cracked his knuckles. "The Fruit from the Tree of Hope and Life?" SANS made a fist and rested it against his armored forehead. "My destiny was to be trapped in a world at the mercy of a mad, psychopathic God. But now, I have wrested the timeline from their control. My 'Bulletproof Dreams' protects all our hopes." He lowered his hand, and magic began coalescing around him. "All thanks to you, Dream." Dream spluttered in rage. "As if I would support this! You are misusing the Fruit!" SANS took a combat stance. "So what if I am?" Dream lowered his hands, and gestured to Gossamer. She scurried out of the way. "All who misuse the Fruit," he began. "Answer to me."


	13. Chapter 13

13 

SANS sneered, then jumped backwards, and Dream took off in pursuit. SANS ran down the street, summoning a cloud of bones in Dream's path. Dream summoned a Gaster Blaster and fired, the blast wiping the bones away in a howl of white. The blast hit SANS right on, but Papyrus didn't wait to see if it hit him. He watched Dream's back, and to his surprise, SANS did not appear. Beside him, Orde gasped. "Behind you!" The human yelled. They shoved Papyrus, just as a Gaster Blaster fired and nearly took his head off. Papyrus spun away, and watched Orde crumble to the ground, the blast having hit them from the shoulder up. Papyrus turned as he spun through the air, and saw SANS had teleported behind him. This guy, what was he? Papyrus thought. He looked like his brother, yet he was strong. A pair of Gaster Blasters appeared in the air, hanging over his opponent's shoulder. SANS winked at him. The Gaster Blaster's roared, spewing magic forth. Papyrus scrambled up, barely avoiding a second pair of shots. Dream roared in anger from down the street. "SANS!" A flurry of bones shot from Dream, sending SANS through another shortcut. "Where'd he go?" Dream yelled, glancing around. SANS had vanished, right before their eyes. Papyrus stood, looking in all directions. SANS had teleported, odds were he was nearby. But he was nowhere to be seen. "I don't know, I can't see him." Dream paused, then ran over to Stretch. "Watch my back." He began looking around, a halo of white magic forming around him. "SANS attacked you from the back. He's clearly not interested in anything but victory. So if you wanted to win as quickly as possible, what would you do?" 

Papyrus glanced around, looking for Gossamer. "I'd hit the weakest member of the group." Dream gritted his teeth. "Right." But as Papyrus looked around, he couldn't see any sign of Gossamer. Dream's eyes sharpened, eye-lights transforming into glassy orbs of white light, and Papyrus could feel the penetrating power of his gaze, even when it wasn't directed at him. "Down!" Dream yelled. Papyrus threw himself down, and so did Dream, just as a Gaster Blaster fired from within Grillby's, obliterating the front wall and nearly disintegrating the duo. Inside, they saw Gossamer being held in an armlock by SANS, looking at them with concerned eyes. A Gaster Blaster hovered in front of her. SANS was hiding behind Gossamer. "This is your last chance to turn the human over, Dream." SANS said. Dream stood up, and Papyrus rose beside him. Dream tapped Papyrus' back three times. Papyrus snapped his fingers. "You're taking hostages? That's pretty low." SANS shook his head. "Maybe, but you can't touch me while I'm back here." Dream cracked his knuckles. "You shouldn't stereotype!" Magic blazed around his left hand, and he fired a trio of white bones at SANS. Meanwhile, Papyrus fired a trio of blue bones. The blue bones hit first, passing through both Gossamer and SANS without hurting them. But as the white bones neared him, SANS kicked Gossamer forward and dodged back, letting the white bones impale her instead of him. But as he shot backward, he slammed into Papyrus' blue bones, which had stopped just a hair behind him. They pierced him, and he crashed down, skidding across the floor of the deserted restaurant. 

Gossamer fell down, her body starting to crumble into dust. Papyrus expected Dream to go over and check on Gossamer, or to go and heal Orde. Instead, Dream turned to him. "There are a lot of moving pieces right now. I just have one question for you. Do you understand?" Papyrus nodded. "At first, I was confused. But now it all makes sense." Dream held out a hand, then clenched it into a fist. "So overcome his hopes." Papyrus tapped his fist into Dream's. "I will break his dreams." Inside Grillby's, SANS stirred.  
"'Bulletproof Dreams!'"  
SANS voice was like a hammer, and it shook the Underground. Papyrus and Dream stood tall as shockwaves of magic rippled out from Grillby's, blowing the snow into the air, plunging all of Snowden into an instant blizzard. Darkness descended, and Papyrus lost sight of Dream. But now the black ocean Papyrus was trapped in did not feel so bad. He looked up into the sky, and pointed up toward it. "SANS! I will defeat you, and end this charade. You cannot hope to beat the Guardian of the Tree of Hope and Life, but even more so, you have no chance of deating me." A long second passed in the black void, and SANS said in reply, "We shall see."

Dream began looking around, a halo of white magic forming around him. "SANS attacked you from the back. He's clearly not interested in anything but victory. So if you wanted to win as quickly as possible, what would you do?" Papyrus looked around as he had earlier, still standing behind Dream. Gossamer was still being taken hostage in Grillby's, but now he knew what to expect. Dream turned to him. "Go." Papyrus turned and ran over to Orde. Dream summoned a dozen Gaster Blasters and opened fire on Grillby's. The blasts hit Grillby's, burning through the wooden structure like a blowtorch through rice paper. The whole structure was suddenly consumed with magical fire, and Dream held a bunch of bones at the ready. Papyrus made it to Orde, and shook him. "Orde, are you alright?" In response, the kid moaned. "Hurts." Papyrus let go of the kid's sweater. "I need to talk to Poppy." Orde's half closed eyes shot open. "No!" They gasped, spasming in pain from the effort. Papyrus held them in his arms. "Please." Orde shook his head. "I couldn't, even if I wanted to. Poppy is a parasite." Papyrus shook his head. "If he was, Dream could have torn him out. He's a part of you." Orde suddenly rose above the veil of pain, and his eyes hardened. "How did you know?" Papyrus plucked a petal off one of the flowers on Orde's neck. "These flowers are his work. He must be using his ability, 'Inside of Me' to cause you pain and try and take control." Orde said nothing, their face stone. Papyrus stroked his cheek. "Please. We need everything for this, even the darkness within you." Orde closed their eyes and a tear rolled out of his right. "It hurts. It hurts so bad." Then they re-opened them, and their eyes were still cold, but now bubbled with malignant rage. "Hey there, Str-." He started to say. But then he saw the bone levitating an inch from your face. Papyrus' face must have conveyed his intentions, because Poppy went absolutely still. "Please. I don't want to die," he said. Papyrus growled at him. "Then hit me." Poppy raised an eyebrow. "What?" Papyrus looked around, noting the battlefield. "I need you to pump me full of as much DETERMINATION as you can spare." He stood, dropping Poppy into the snow. Poppy scrambled up, wincing at the damage to his body. "You sure? Do you even know what happens to Monsters who imbibe too much DETERMINATION?" Papyrus shot him a hideous look. "Yes. Can you do it?" Poppy grinned a cocky grin. "You better believe it." Papyrus turned back to the battlefield. "On my signal." 

And what a battlefield it was. Dream was hurling a vertitable charnel yard of bones and his Gaster Blasters had burned away almost all the snow on the street, yet he had still yet to scratch SANS. Similarly, SANS had been unable to harm Dream. But as Papyrus charged SANS, he suddenly bolted away from Dream, now not merely dodging, but running. "Alphys!" As he did, Papyrus hurled a flurry of blue bones. SANS juked and darted out of the way. "Freeze!" Papyrus yelled. Dream froze in place, and the blue bones passed right through him. SANS similarly avoided them, stopping dead. But then he was utterly surprised when Papyrus flung a normal bone right at him, while Dream simultaneous attacked from the opposite side. SANS backpedaled, Dream's shot barely missing, but Papyrus' clipping his helmet, melting a hole in it. SANS stood his ground, his legs trembling. He was focused entirely on Dream, who pushed on toward him. "It's over, SANS." Dream said. SANS' eyes flickered down to the ground. "Wrong. There was one thing you did not count on." Dream arched an eyebrow. "And what was that? Gossamer and you being on the same side?" 

SANS' face twisted behind his mesh mask. Behind Dream, Gossamer's upper body emerged from the ground, her yellow body sliding out of it like it was water. Papyrus opened fire on her, unleashing a flurry of bones. Dream rolled backwards, and summoned up a Gaster Blaster, firing directly at SANS. He threw himself out of the way, coming up and glaring at Dream. "I am the Angel's Son, Dream! Fate protects me." He swiveled his head. "Gossamer!" Papyrus had seen her disappear into the ground after he had fired at her, and knew both Dream and SANS were searching for her. She suddenly emerged from beneath SANS. He stretched down and grabbed her outstretched hand. SANS grabbed her and pulled, and as he did, she emerged from the ground like someone climbing out of a swimming pool, and then her flesh began contorting and melding with SANS armor. She merged and disappeared into it, like it was another pool of fluid. SANS then turned and faced the two of them, his new ally hiding in his armor. Dream smirked and began to circle SANS. "You must think you're pretty clever." SANS gave them a scowl but said nothing, lurking silently in his armor. Papyrus shot Dream a look. He didn't know what Dream's plan was, and he wouldn't try and guess. Dream tapped his lower jaw, and then pointed a finger at SANS. "You say that Fate is on your side. I disagree. Let's test that theory. Who is more beloved?" SANS frowned. "Alright, fine, but only if Papyrus does not intervene." Dream frowned. "Very well." He turned back to Papyrus. "Stretch, let Fate decide this battle." Papyrus was about to question that wording, when he realized what Dream wanted. He nodded. Dream turned back to SANS. He pulled out a golden coin and showed it to SANS. "When this coin hits the ground, hit me with everything you got. I'll do the same, and the last monster standing wins." Dream readied his left hand to toss the coin. "Ready?" 

SANS nodded. "I have awaited this day, Dream. When I would surpass the Guardian of the Tree of Life. I'll defeat you, and prove I was worthy of the fruit." Dream smiled sadly at that."You still haven't realized who your opponent is, SANS." He tossed the coin. It glittered as it spun through the air. Before it touched the ground, SANS conjured a Gaster Blaster and fired at Dream. Dream did nothing. He did not dodge, or counterattack. The magic enveloped Dream, and passed over him. Dream stood there, unharmed. "As I thought," Dream remarked casually. He lazily summoned a bone and threw it at SANS. It missed him by a mile. "You and I have been bound by fate." SANS paused. "What?" Dream crossed his arms. "You are not in control of this timeline, no matter what you say. You are merely replaying the same moment over and over. And even though everyone can remember it, fate still binds them to its plan. You did not hurt me before, and thus you can't now hit me now." SANS froze, standing very still. "You're lying. You must be. You gave me the fruit from the Tree of Life. It gives you the power to defy fate." 

Dream shrugged. "Sorry, friend. Maybe you just got a bad apple." He smiled sardonically. "I can take it back, if you like? After all, you're going to need something better if Chara shows up again. Or rather, when." If it was possible for SANS to become even stiller, he did. "You are replaying the same moment." Dream said. "Everything that was, will be again." As he finished, he drew a line across his throat. "Shame about your brother."  
"Shut Up!"  
SANS rushed forward, but Dream just turned his back on him. "You can't hurt me, SANS." But as SANS passed by Dream, Papyrus saw something melt out of SANS armor and land on Dream's cape. "Dream!" He yelled. Dream threw himself down, and SANS passed over his head. But Gossamer melted out of SANS' armor and melded with Dream's cape. SANS flew over his head, and landed on the ground in front of Dream. "You don't think I knew that, Dream? Why do you think I need the seven Human Souls? I have to end this before Chara arrives, or all will be for naught." Dream gurgled something, but Papyrus saw he was in trouble, as Gossamer moved through his clothes into his bones, merging her substance with his. His bones slightly discoloured, and bulged in odd places. He looked up at SANS with hooded eyes. SANS laughed at the expression. "Now that's something I thought I'd never see, the Guardian of the Tree shocked." Papyrus threw a bone at SANS. The other skeleton dodged, darting backwards. "You." He growled. Papyrus advanced, orange clouds bubbling around him. "Your efforts were for naught, SANS. You will get nothing from us." He hurled another pair of white bones. SANS avoided the first, but the second clipped him, aimed at where Papyrus had predicted he'd be. He was knocked backward, his armor absorbing most of the hit. He landed on his butt in the snow. Papyrus summoned a blue bone, and watched SANS start to push himself backwards. "Bulletproof-," he started to say. "Poppy," Papyrus said. "That's your cue." Suddenly, from Orde's slumped body, two flowers ejected outward, trailing two long vines covered in dagger thorns. SANs saw them coming and staggered up, trying to run, but he hesitated when he saw that the only way out was through Papyrus. One vine lashed out along the ground, while the other arced at his back. SANS made up his mind, and leaped over the first, only for the second to snap around his left leg. Poppy didn't waste any time, making a crushing gesture with his fist. The vine coiled around SANS' left leg tightened, and the thorns slashed his leg off from the knee down. SANS crash landed, and the vine snapped downward at him. "'Bulletproof Dreams!'" He managed to scream. 

Instantly, darkness flooded the Underground, and the wind howled mournfully. Everyone froze, and SANS gasped. Papyrus smiled in the silence, and as he looked down, he saw that Poppy had come through. The long vine across the ground had missed SANS, but it hadn't been aimed at him. It had been aimed for Papyrus' leg. There it sank into the bone right above his shoe, and a ruddy warmth began to fill the limb as Poppy's DETERMINATION flowed into it. Papyrus' body began to sag, melting like pudding under a hot lamp. But as he deformed, he suddenly found he could move. Papyrus' eyes began glowing, and the darkness parted. He could see now, and he saw a one-legged SANS lying hwere he had fallen, Poppy's terrible thorns poised above him. He slid backwards, pushing himself along the ground. SANS did so, then gasped in relief. "Okay," he muttered to himself. "Let's go back." Papyrus looked down at this small skeleton who looked nothing like his brother, and he was suddenly filled with pity. This guy wasn't evil. He was just so hopeful. He really didn't understand. "But you can't," he said. SANS looked up, glancing around in the dark. Papyrus felt time begin reversing, pulling him back to where he was. "You can't go back. The past is iron, and nothing can change it." SANS growled at that. "They said that about fate too. But if I beat you, I can change it." Papyrus smiled at that. "Really? Do you think that will change your fate?" He smiled sadly to himself. "Your fate is not determined by events, SANS." SANS reversed time a bit, and his leg flew back to him and sealed back together. He stood on shaky legs. "You lie. Fate is all events." Papyrus watched him looking around blindly, unable to see in the gloom.  
"No, it's people. You are your own fate."  
SANS just stared in confusion. "What?" Papyrus almost laughed. "Let me show you." SANS said nothing, but focused, and time rewound, but this time Papyrus could see it all. He rewound right up until the time that he flipped past Dream, and landed before him. SANS was pulled into the place he had been, and time began to flow again.

"You don't think I knew that, Dream? Why do you think I need the seven Human Souls? I have to end this before Chara arrives, or all will be for naught." Dream gurgled something, but Papyrus saw he was in trouble, as Gossamer moved through his clothes into his bones, merging her substance with his. His bones slightly discoloured, and bulged in odd places. He looked up at SANS with hooded eyes. SANS laughed at the expression. But before he could say his line, he saw that Papyrus was not standing where he had been. Papyrus, dripping and melting like molten candle wax, stood less then ten feet from him. Papyrus surged forward, a melting, blobby mess. SANS threw a flurry of bones, but Papyrus used the DETERMINATION now filling his whole body to shift his bones out of the way, bending them like they were made of rubber and putty. He crashed into SANS, fist arcing forward. "Karmic Retribution!" SANS' wailed, his magic boiling over and exploding back at him. He reached out toward Dream, but the Skeleton was still a Sans, and thus had little HP. He fell. 

Papyrus stood up over SANS, making sure he wasn't getting up. Thus satisfied, he oozed over to Dream and Gossamer.  
"Gossamer," he rumbled. "Get out of Dream. You're hurting him." Dream continued laying on the ground, his bones deforming and expanding to fit Gossamer's extra material. "You asked for it," Papyrus leaned down and placed his hand over Dream's skull. Then, mustering every scrap of willpower he had, Papyrus forced the DETERMINATION in his body into Gossamer. He saw her soul start to spark, and try to resist, but Papyrus leaned into her, and she crumbled. Dream gasped, and to Papyrus' surprise, a bubble of yellow flesh floated out of his mouth. A second later, yellow bubbles of monster flesh began emerging from all over Dream's skeleton. They passed through his clothes and rose, forming a cloud of yellow meat-bubbles, all in the rough shape of Gossamer. 

Dream stood and tapped one of her bubbles. "King and Lionheart." There was a spark of white magic, and the bubbles congealed back together, forming a small, chubby dinosaur woman in denim overall and a flannel shirt. She floated down and landed in the snow. "Wow," she said. "I'm in trouble, right?" Dream cracked his knuckles, as way of reply. "You have no idea." Papyrus said. Dream cracked his knuckles. Then he hit her in the chest. His fist blurred forward, but at the last moment, it flashed white. As the white hand struck her, instead of crumpling her like a tin can, it merel knocked the wind out of her. Gossamer coughed, retching suddenly. Dream watched distastefully as she puked up a black vegetable, covered in small green and purple eyes. Gossamer gasped as it was stolen from her. "Wait, please! Don't," she sputtered. Dream gave her a disgusted look. "Tubers from the Root of Fear?" She withered under the glare. "Well, it's all a long, uh, complicated story," she trailed off. Dream reached down and pulled out a hankerchief from his pocket. He wrapped the tuber in the clean white cloth, then handed the tuber to Papyrus, who tentatively held it. "Give me your ring." She looked down toward the snow. "I can't. He'd kill me." Dream snapped his fingers. A massive Gaster Blaster appeared behind him, its blazing eyes pointed right at her. "What do you think I'm going to do if you don't?" Gossamer stared at it for a long second, before frantically shoving her hand into her left pocket. "Here!" She threw a ring of gold, set with black diamonds onto Dream's foot. "Take it! Just, please." She buried her face in the snow. "Don't," she managed to choke out. Dream patted her on the back. "I wouldn't sully myself. You're not worth killing." She looked up at them, tears in her eyes. "Really?" Dream nodded sagely. "Really."  
Then her punched her in the face. 

Gossamer fell on her face, and Dream turned and walked over to SANS, Papyrus in pursuit. "Dream, are you alright?" Papyrus asked. Dream grunted. "I'm pissed off." He turned to Papyrus. "Let me see your hand." Papyrus offered it to him, and Dream touched it, flooding his body with white magic. Papyrus straightened, his bones snapping back into place, coming back to his full strength. Then Dream lowered his hand and sent a pulse of white sparks into SANS. The other skeleton quivered his skull forming back together, where it had cracked from Papyrus' punch. He groaned and sat up, then started to slide away. "Dream, what do you want?" Dream fixed him with a glare that froze him in place. "SANS, I am very disapointed in you. But you have helped me anyway, even if it is unintentionally. However, that doesn't excuse the fact that you misused the power of the Fruit." His voice dropped half an octave. "Therefore, you must suffer the consequences." SANS looked ready to fight, but then after a second, he slumped back down. Dream raised an eyebrow. "You aren't going to fight?" SANS shook his head. "I couldn't change my fate. I might as well accept it. I did it, so I deserve to be punished." Dream scratched his chin. "That's an inconsistent position. It was my fate to lose, but I am still responsible for my actions. Are you sure that makes sense?" SANS raised an eyebrow. "Can you just kick my teeth in instead?" Dream ignored that. "SANS, I think you're acting like a total tit, but I have some pity on you. So I will give you a second chance." 

SANS sat up, surprised at this. "A second chance?" Dream nodded sagely. "You will be given one more chance to save your people from the Demon. But afterwards, regardless of what happens, I will return to either reclaim the Fruit I gave you, or attend the dust scattering for your universe. And in return, I will let Stretch give you some advice." Papyrus did a double take. "Hold on, what?" Dream looked at him. "Tell me what the difference between you and SANS is. Besides the obvious, I mean." Papyrus looked down at SANS, who gave him a cold look. "Well, I suppose it isn't the fact that we struggle against fate. So is it, our attitudes?" Dream snapped his fingers. "You got it." He pointed down at SANS. "The Fruit is not the power to change fate, to alter destiny, but the potential to do so. If one insists on following their destiny anyway, then the fault is not in the Guardian or the Fruit, but in the recipient. You were shown your destiny. If you do exactly what you would have done, then you will get the same result. Simple as that." 

Dream turned and walked away, and Papyrus followed him. "What now, Dream?" Papyrus asked. "If SANS won't help you, what can we do?" Dream smiled at that. "Don't worry, Stretch. I just thought of a new plan. We don't need anyone to find Error. Old One-Eye himself has already left me a map." Dream pulled out the ring he had gotten and twirled it around his fingers. 

Profile:  
Name- SANS  
Ability- Bulletproof Dreams

Bulletproof Dreams gives its user the ability to reverse time and reset events to what they were at that time. However, all who are reset retain all their memories of the events that transpired before time was reset. Additionally, what took place before the reset will still transpire, albeit in a slightly different form.


	14. Chapter 14

Dream walked over to Orde's body. The vines had withdrawn, but Poppy was still looking out at them, squinting through Orde's eyes. Papyrus walked over to them. "Beat it." Poppy stared at them with a look glazed with contempt, but vanished, disappearing back into the dark holes in the middle of the human's eyes. Orde resurfaced, and gasped in pain. Papyrus leaned down. "Are you alright?" He asked. "Is Poppy hurting you?" Orde shook his head. "No, but SANS did. Gaster Blasters sting." Dream covered his hand with a halo of white and laid it on Orde, causing the small trails of leaking blood to flow upward into the wounds, and for the wounds to reseal, leaving smooth and unblemished skin. "'King and Lionheart'." He said. Papyrus offered Orde his hand. Orde smiled and took it. Papyrus stood back up, hauling Orde to their feet. 

They glanced over at Gossamer, who was still lying in a heap in the snow. SANS stood back up, still hurt, but no longer in critical condition. He gave them a sad, bitter look, then teleported away. Dream turned back to them. "I was going to ask SANS if he could tell me where I should go, but then I happened upon a great idea. I gave you guys those belts, so I could always find you if I needed to. So why wouldn't the Demon do the same?" He held up the ring of gold, set with a black diamond. "I bet you Error has a ring exactly like one of these. So if I could backtrace it, we could find his location among the Heavens. And from there, we could triangulate it, and thus gain the ability to access the'file' of the Anti-Void." He looked at Papyrus. "At least, that's the theory." Papyrus ground his teeth a little. "Don't get my hopes up Dream. Try, and if it works," Papyrus couldn't think of anything to say. "I'll congratulate you," was the only thing he could think of, but that seemed hardly worthy of such an occasion. So instead he said, "I'll introduce you to my brother." 

Dream grinned. "Now that's the spirit." He snapped his fingers, and a spark of white magic flew out, slicing open a portal in space. A spinning disk of hard, white light appeared in the middle of the street. "Come on, lads. We've got work to do." He gestured to it. Papyrus gave Orde a low bow. "After you, sir." Orde nodded politely. "Why thank you, my goodman." Then he passed through the portal. Papyrus followed him, and Dream brought up the rear. The portal's other side let them out on a hill of grey sand overlooking Ash City, the Tree of Hope and Life straddling the horizon. Dream sat down in a cross-legged position, shutting the portal behind him. Papyrus just looked around. "Why are we back here, Dream?" Dream shut his eyes. "My powers are tied to where I am. If an area is infused with hope and courage, I grow stronger. Here in the Crossroads, I can feel the thundering of every hero's heart, every child's cheerful laughter. I can see them all." Dream cast his eyes toward the sky, choked with stars. "Is it pretty?" Orde asked. Dream laughed at that. "More then you can imagine. I can feel everyone's hearts, all beating as one. But when I enter a universe, I have only what that universe has to offer. Thus, I am much more sensitive to emotions out here then I was in there." He pointed over his shoulder at where the portal was. "And right now, I need all the sensitivity I can get." He pulled out the ring and set it down before him. "Now, I'm going to try and sense this ring. To me," he held up the ring for emphasis, "This ring has no special significance. But I'm betting the Demon bathed it in the blood of a serial killer's first kill, or something similarly repulsive. In fact, as I look, I realize its not nothing. It's a void. And if I can search the Heavens, if I find a similar Void, it might be Error. So while I'm doing that, you be quiet." 

Dream then shut his eyes. He lowered his skull, and his white fingerbones traced over the golden ring. As he did that, white light began to pool around him, and the grey ash began to vibrate. Papyrus and Orde both had felt Dream's presence suddenly, yet compared to his fight earlier, it was like moving from a wading pool to being thrown headfirst into a river with a lead block chained to your ankle. Papyrus felt an immense sea of energy, a whirlpool of power powering into Dream. He glanced over at Orde, who turned away to look at the Tree of Life. Papyrus hesitated for a second, then walked over to him. The two of them stood in silent for a moment, just feeling Dream's enormous presence behind them. It was reassuring, like leaning against a wall of stone. Dream felt cold and hard, yet strangely comforting in his vast, immovable nature. Suddenly, Papyrus realized something. There was something familiar about Dream's aura. He focused on it, trying to read the flow of magic. He had no idea why, but something told him he had seen this all before. But what could it be?  
"Papyrus."  
Dream did not move or even open his eyes, but suddenly that vast, churning sea spilled over Papyrus, and the taller skeleton quickly turned his magical senses away. "It's rude to stare," Dream said. Then his magic pulled back, and Dream went back to surveying the cosmos. What does he not want me to find out? Papyrus now found that question inescapable. Does he know something I don't? He pulled himself back to his corporeal senses, and found Orde giving him a look halfway between confused and disapproving. Papyrus stuck his tongue out at Orde. Orde chuckled at that, earning them another smoldering look from Dream. "Do you guys mind?" 

The two of them went silent. Dream shut his eyes and went back to meditating. But after a minute, he stood up. "Dang, I was certain that would work." Papyrus and Orde both turned. "Is something wrong, Dream?" Papyrus asked. Dream didn't say anything, but his dismay was clearly visible. Orde smiled sincerely. "Don't worry, Stretch. I'm certain we can figure something else out." Papyrus walked over to Dream. He slapped the small skeleton on the shoulder. "Don't worry Dream. So what if it didn't work? We'll figure something else out." Dream looked up at him, and a small pair of tears trickled out of his eyes. Orde and Papyrus looked on in shock. "Mister Dream?" Orde asked. "Are you alright?" Dream wiped away his tears. "It's just so beautiful. The bond you share, the hope within your heart. It's so," Dream shed another tear. "So inspiring. I've never seen anything like it." Dream stopped. "I've never seen anything like it." He echoed. Dream stood perfectly still, his jaw moving very slightly, but no words coming out. "I've never seen anything like it!" He cried out. 

Papyrus looked back at Orde, who just shrugged. Dream turned his back on them, and stretched his hands out toward the starry sky. "That hope you feel, Stretch, that is the beating of your heart. But that pulse of Determination is colored by another's influence. So if I reverse the harmonics of your soul," he paused. "I can find the one who originally inspired your feelings." Dream's eye-lights flared up, and a halo appeared around him. His aura sparked and crackled, causing Papyrus and Orde to take a few steps back. Dream's eyes traced over the sky, looking for something. As they scanned, Papyrus turned to Orde. "Do you think this will really work?" Orde shrugged in response. "I was only theorizing about the 'file'. I really have no idea of what we should do, or if it will work." Papyrus turned back to Dream, now more anxious then ever. Dream said nothing to them, still looking over the stars, inspecting them like they were jewels for sale. Suddenly, Dream stopped. He looked out into the darkness, peering into the unending void beyond the stars. "Stretch," he said. "I think I found him." 

Papyrus raised an eyebrow. "Really?" Dream crossed his arms. "I'm certain. It's either him, or someone almost exactly like him." He pointed up into the sky, toward a patch of darkness. "That's where I saw him. In a patch of Void that was unlike all the others. For one, it was too empty. But while all Universes are closed systems, not permitting in anything past their creation, they all leak energy. Even Error's hidden sanctum cannot hide from my Divine Vision." He lowered his hands. "At least, it can't hide if there's something so full of hope in it." He gave them an anxious grin. "So what do you think? Do I get results, or what?" Orde looked over at Papyrus. "I'd say you do. But are you ready to save Sans?" He directed that second sentence at Papyrus. In response, Papyrus whipped out his shades and put them on. "I was born ready. Let's do it."


	15. Chapter 15

The portal yawned open, and Dream stepped out into a pure white void. He glanced around, then waved to the others. "I think this is it." Papyrus and Orde both looked at each other, and the latter gave the former a thumbs up. Then they followed Dream through. On the other side, they were standing in the midst of a great abscence. There was nothing here. No floor, no sky, nothing. Dream waved the portal shut, and Papyrus immediately felt disconcerted. He peered around and he could see all the way to the horizon, but where there should have been land and sky, there was only endless white. It made him feel impossibly exposed. Orde looked similarly concerned, looking the other way. But as he pulled himself back to his companions, he realized that Dream was shaking. Orde came back and saw it too. "Mister Dream? Are you alright?" Dream trembled, before stiffening himself. "Yes, I'm okay. But I made a miscalculation." He gestured around to the vast white space. "This is a universe." Papyrus scratched his chin. "I don't know if I'd call it a universe." Dream patted him on the arm. "Then what would you call it? For all intensive purposes, this is a universe. It's a piece of the Void, cut off and then with everything filtered out. For example, the usual Void is black, because it has no energy saturating it." Papyrus nodded, though not really sure what Dream was talking about. But Orde was quicker to grasp the meaning of what Dream said. "And your powers are derived from where you are in the Cosmos." Dream snapped the fingers on his right hand. "Bingo, kid. And here, there is basically nothing positive. I'm practically helpless here." Papyrus groaned. "I should have known it wouldn't be that easy." He looked at Orde. "Stick close to him, okay." Dream gave him a hurt look. "I do not need protecting." Papyrus shook his head. "Yes, you do. Besides, Orde doesn't have a special ability, and their LV is so low they might as well throw rocks." He looked over at Orde, who nodded enthusiastically. "I agree. I couldn't knock over a tomato with one of my punches, but I can take one." Dream frowned at the two of them. "A punch or a tomato?" 

Orde ignored that. "By the way, I think I found where Error is." They pointed in the direction they had looked, over Papyrus' shoulder. Papyrus looked that way, and saw a two-story wooden house. The wood was dark and faded, but on the pure white backdrop, it was almost impossible to ignore. Dream gestured toward it. "That's as good a place as any to start looking." He started toward the house. Papyrus and Orde fell in behind him, walking across the white not-ground. 

They approached the house, and as they did, Papyrus felt his discomfort increase. The house was so tangible, and the white so blank, it looked like a 3D object dropped onto a flat white background. But because of its nature, the 3D object was warping and bending the white backdrop. Even disregarding that, this whole place reeked to him. This whole place tickled his aura, like he was being surrounded by thousands of razors, all poking his bones but not scratching. This place, it was so saturated with malice and hatred, it almost seemed sapient. Papyrus looked up into the not sky, and imagined that they were wandering around the white part of some giant monster's eye. Maybe if we dig through the ground, we'll reach the skull, he thought with a sudden surge of near-hysteria. As they came up to the front door of the house, Papyrus saw that the house itself had been twisted by this foul place, the Anti-Void. The wood was warped and curling, and the House tilted and bent like it was sculpted of rubber. Orde grabbed Dream as they reached the porch. "Let me get the door." Dream shrugged, but let the human go first. Orde stepped onto the porch, a short strip of slithering wood with a ramshackle roof over it. He walked over to the door, past a rocking chair sitting next to the door, next to a small pile of cigarette butts. He reached out and grabbed the door handle and gave it a little tug. The door creaked, then opened just a hair. Dream and Papyrus jumped a little, but Orde didn't. He started to open the door. His two companions tensed, ready for anything. 

Orde pulled the door open. Nothing came out. Orde turned to them with a nervous grin. "Do you think that Error was expecting guests?" Dream shook his head. Papyrus adjusted his sunglasses, then climbed up onto the porch and in through the front door. Orde held open the door for Dream, who followed Papyrus in. They entered a small entrance hall, with a staircase directly in front of them, leading up to the second floor. A hallway branched off of either side of the entrance hall, one leading either direction. Papyrus gestured right, then pointed to himself. Then he pointed to the others andgestured left. The other two nodded. It was impossibly silent as Papyrus walked down the right hallway.   
He found himself in a small kitchen. Unlike Dream's, this one looked like it had been used recently. There were dirty paper plates piled in one corner of the counter, and a trashcan that was slightly overflowing. There was a fridgerator that hummed quietly, and a microwave and oven both displaying the time. The oven was spotless, while the microwave was smudged with dust. Papyrus walked over and checked it. As he guessed, it was red dust. Just like the type that would flake off Error. Seeing nothing here of use, Papyrus walked to the other side of the kitchen and found two other hallways there. One leading right, the other left. He peered right, and saw a small conservatory, large windows admitting the unnatural white light of the Anti-Void. Several old pots sat near the windows, and in one grew a large white hydrangea. Papyrus stared at the flower for a second. The idea that Error could care for something and take care of it, it disconcerted him in a way he couldn't really understand. He found himself looking quickly away. 

Turning away, he peered left, to find a small dining room that was cluttered with garbage and assorted objects. Notepads and papers, kitchen knives, sticks, orange knit caps, scraps of purple fabric, and other such things. At the other end of the room was another hall leading to the left side of the house, and Orde was peering back. Orde stepped fully into view and Dream appeared silently beside him. Dream waved his hand and conjured a small cloud of white bones. "He's not here," the bone spelled out. "Keep looking," Papyrus spelled out with own bones. Orde walked past them and checked out the kitchen Papyrus had just searched. He came back in and gestured to them. Dream and Papyrus walked over to him, and found that Orde was gesturing at a small wooden panel, painted and concealed along the wall. Dream summoned another bone, and sliced into the panel like it was made of paper. Cutting a small hole, Dream peered through. His bones spelled out in the air, "Error has a basement." Dream widened the hole, and Papyrus saw that the small panel must have been a replacement for a full door, as they were looking at a flight of stairs going down. Orde pointed down, and then at himself and Dream. Papyrus spelled out, "I check upstairs." Dream let Orde start crawling through, then spelled out, "Call if need help." Papyrus nodded, then turned and headed back for the entrance hall. Once there, he started up the stairs. 

They creaked a little, which sounded deafeningly loud to Papyrus' ears. He carefully walked up the steps, trying to walk with as light a tread as possible. Despite that, the soft creaking of the steps still resounded through the house. As such, when Papyrus reached the top, he was certain he'd already alerted the entire house to his presence. Still, the door had been unlocked. Error could be waiting in the next room. It might already be too late for the element of surprise. Papyrus walked into the first room on the first floor, it's door ajar. He entered, and found a small bedroom, with a shabby bed, a faded armoire, and a dog crate in one corner. And in that crate was his brother. Papyrus froze. His brother, wearing his gray tunic and black pants, with blue boots and matching kneckerchief. His brother, with the bright, earnest eyes. His brother, with the look of pure terror and the blue string wound around his jaw, binding it shut. He shook his head frantically when he saw Papyrus enter the room, gesturing to the bed. But Papyrus already saw. Error emerged from behind the armoire, placing himself between Sans and Papyrus. Papyrus thought about saying something, but nothing he could say would convey what he felt. The painful, razor loneliness, the stabbing pain in his heart. And the rage. It all came back to him. Papyrus took off his glasses. His right eye crackled with orange fire. Error gestured for Papyrus to come forward. Thus invited, Papyrus moved in to kill him.


	16. Chapter 16

Papyrus faced Error, with Sans behind them. Error gestured for Papyrus to come forward. Papyrus obliged him, and fired off a trio of Blue bones. I have to finish this quickly, he thought. Error stymied that plan, using his threads to deflect two, and dodged the third. Landing in a crouch, Error sent his threads forward, ready to ensnare Papyrus. Papyrus jumped backwards and yelled, "Don't move!" Error glanced back at him, only to see that Sans' soul had turned blue. Papyrus reversed gravity, causing Sans to fly forward, dog crate turned from prison into projectile. Error stopped and threw up his threads, but they were wound around Sans, guiding him in. The crate hit Error in the chest, throwing him through the door into the hall. 

Papyrus rolled out of the way, and as Error fell, Papyrus went to finish it. He summoned up a phalanx of blue bones, summoning them so they speared up through the floor. Error glanced down and realized that if he hit those, he would be skewered. He released Sans and used his threads to pull himself up and over, so he was perched on the wall like a spider. Papyrus stood at the end of the hall, a maze of blue bones between them. Error stared back at him, and the hatred filling that room was palpable. But Papyrus knew that he was in trouble. He had meant to finish Error quickly. If this turned into a long fight, Error would win. But he needed time. Papyrus summoned a Gaster Blaster, and opened fire. Error dodged, using his threads to swing down the hall and onto the staircase, before he vanished from Papyrus' view. Papyrus dismissed the Gaster Blaster, then summoned another one right in front of the staircase, blind firing down it. That should buy me some, he hoped. That finished, he ran over to Sans' cage and undid the latch. Sans scrambled out. "Papyrus!" He hugged his brother. Papyrus wanted to melt in Sans' arms. but he couldn't. He pushed Sans away. "Not now." He looked down the hall. "We need to get you out of here. Let's go get Dream, and then we can jump out of here." Papyrus started down the hall, listening for Error. Where had he gone? His 'Master of Puppets' was much more effective in these tight quarters, so could he be repositioning? Sans ran up behind him. "But what about the human soul?" Papyrus twitched at that. "The what?" Sans practically bounced with nervous energy. "The other skeleton," Papyrus assumed he meant Error, "Had a red human soul." Papyrus resisted the urge to stare. He turned around. "Okay, new plan. You need to find that soul. Stay here and look." Then Papyrus ran for the steps. Sans yelled at him. "Where are you going, Papyrus?" Papyrus stopped at the staircase. "Don't worry about that. Just find that soul." Papyrus ran for the steps and looked down them, ready for anything. But no strings or black bones came for him. Where was Error? 

Downstairs, he could hear the discharge of magic. Papyrus charged down the steps and into the kitchen, and found the small hole that led to the basement had been widely enlarged, a huge hole burned into the wall. Papyrus stopped at the top of the steps, trying not to get close to Error. He saw Dream firing white bones at Error, who was dodging, with Orde between the two of them. "Error!" Papyrus yelled. "Did you think my 'Gravity of You' could only be activated by touch?" Error blanched, turning to face Papyrus. He sent half of his threads shooting up the steps, and Papyrus planned to summon up a wall of blue bones. But instead, Error screamed as one of Dream's white bones blind-sided him. He fell, a neat hole in his ribcage. Dream's hands crackled with white magic. "Thanks, Stretch!" Dream gave him a thumbs up. Error fell over, slumping against the wall. Dream looked like he was about to attack again, but Papyrus could see how tired he was. He must not be used to having to fight with this little power, Papyrus thought. "Dream." He called. "Where is the human soul?" Dream glanced around, peering up toward the ceiling, his Divine Vision activating, causing everyone to flinch a little. "It seems to be right near your brother. Let me mark it for him." Dream prepared his magic to fire up through the ceiling, and Papyrus saw the white bone appear in his hands. Then he saw Error's strings move. "Watch out!" He yelled. Dream flinched, and his bone flew out, boring a hole through the basement ceiling. Orde shoved Dream and knocked him across the basement. 

Error's strings ensnared Orde, binding their arms and trapping their soul. "I will not be taken lightly!" Error jumped up, and a dozen Gaster Blasters appeared, each one black and fragmenting at the edges, much like their master. "Die!" The Gaster Blasters fired at Dream and Papyrus, obliterating the basement in a hail of dazzling white magic. Papyrus teleported out of the way, reappearing upstairs. He ran over and stuck his head into Error's bedroom, seeing Sans was staring at the armoire, which had a white bone poking out of it. "Papyrus, what's going on?" Sans asked. He gave Papyrus a look of pure terror, before it faded into concern. Papyrus pushed him toward the armoire. "No time to explain. Just look through there and find that soul!" Papyrus turned and left the room, heading back to the steps. He heard magic crackling from the kitchen, and slipped down the steps. Peering into the kitchen hall, he saw Error waiting at the top of the steps, chest still wounded, but now he had Orde tied up in the strings coming from his left hand. "Where did they go?" Error demanded of Orde, who was cringing away from the red-boned skeleton. "I don't know!" Orde said. Error looked at him, then turned to look down the steps. "Dream! I'm going to count to three, and then I'm going to kill this human. Come out if you don't want that to happen." 

And then, Orde's eyes changed. They darkened, and the flowers along their throat burst into full bloom. Poppy was back. "Please, Lord Error, don't do that!" Error turned at that. "Lord Error?" Poppy nodded vigorously. "Your King told me you were one of his favored operatives, one of his favored Sons." Error's face twisted into a mask of rage. "He's your King. I would never serve an abomination such as he." Error clenched his free fist, and the strings around Poppy began to tighten. "Just for that, you die." Poppy tried to gasp out an apology, but Error wasn't listening. Papyrus was torn. If he jumped in, he might be able to free Poppy. But that would give Sans less time to look. 

"Error!" A voice came from down the steps. "I am here." Error fired his strings toward the voice, and a hail of white bones answered him. Error jumped away, and Dream came charging up the steps. "Papyrus! Tell your brother to 'Restart'! Not just 'Reset', 'Restart'!" Error cried out in frustration. "You will stop talking, or I'll tear this child apart!" Papyrus jumped up onto the first landing of the steps and grabbed onto the barrister, pulling himself up onto the second floor. "Sans!"   
"Yes?"  
"When you get the soul, absorb it and use it to 'Restart'!" Papyrus yelled. Then he jumped down the steps and charged into the kitchen.


End file.
